Who are you?
by QueenAlicorn
Summary: Cat noir/ Adrian is really anxious to find out who Ladybug is. And he gets frustrated and gets mad at his friends. What will happen if Marinette gets akumatized? Then how can she turn into Ladybug to save the day? I guess she won’t.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir, or it's characters.

Chapter 1,

Adrian had to rush home. He had a photo shoot, and completely forgot his fencing sword for class. His bodyguard was an animal on the road, but he still couldn't control traffic. There was a jam, and Adrian looked out the window and saw the rows of cars. He sighed in disappointment, and he slumped down in his seat.

"Cheer up, man." Adrian's kwami, Plagg said and Adrian rolled his eyes.

"You don't get it Plagg, if I don't get to practice in time, then father won't let me go to Nino's party." Adrian said and Plagg shrugged.

"So what, Nino will understand." Plagg said and Adrian shook his head.

"I hate it when father does this to me. I make one little mistake, and I get locked away." Adrian said and Plagg hesitated and looked out the window.

"Well look on the bright side, there is a cheese store right next to that party store. I think they have a sale on wonderful, wonderful Camembert." Plagg said and Adrian rolled his eyes with a smile.

"Maybe you don't think with your stomach. Maybe your brain is in your stomach." Adrian said and Plagg stuck his tongue out at him.

"Real mature, Plagg. How about this. Help me get to practice in time, and I'll take you to the store for the Camembert sale." Adrian said looking out the window, and he saw the party store. The window was decked out in a bunch of Ladybug party favors, and Adrian stared at it.

"Uh, Adrian?" Plagg said, but Adrian didn't hear him. He was staring at the beautiful face of his bugaboo. He looked into her artificial eyes, and fake smile, and he just swooned. Until the car moved.

"Oh." Adrian partly wanted to stay and stare at her picture a bit more, but he knew that he needed to leave. Fencing practice and all.

"Still obsessed with Ladybug?" Plagg asked and Adrian sighed.

"I'm in love with her." Adrian said, and Plagg groaned.

"Pa-lease, you don't even know who she really is." Plagg said and Adrian smiled.

"That's where your wrong, Plagg. I feel as if I know her more then I know myself." Adrian said.

"But you don't know her secret identity." Plagg said and Adrian blinked.

"Well, no. But it's only a matter of time before we learn who we are, and start dating and get married and-"

"Hold it kitty! I don't need to hear this speech again." Plagg said, putting his hands over his ears, and Adrian rolled his eyes.

"You have never been in love, have you Plagg?" Adrian asked and Plagg huffed.

"For your information, I happen to have a deep and devoted relationship to Camembert." Plagg said and Adrian chuckled quietly.

"Oh come on, Plagg. Wasn't there some kwami you just loved to be around?" Adrian asked and Plagg thought about this.

"I don't know, really. The only kwami I really hang out with is Tikki, but we aren't romantic with each other." Plagg said and Adrian nodded.

"Well, maybe it would be nice if you two could spend some time together." Adrian suggested and Plagg shook his head.

"No can do, hotshot. Even if we did like each other, we can't just spend time together." Plagg said and Adrian blinked.

"Why not?" He asked.

"Because it's just not practical. I spend all my time with you, just in case you need to be Cat Noir. And Tikki is spending all of her time with Ladybug." Plagg said and Adrian blinked.

"Ladybug's kwami?" Adrian repeated as if he finally figured something out.

"Yeah, and sure I could risk your safety and go to her, but I don't wanna fly that far. And she won't have Camembert, and she'll nag me to death with her 'blah, blah, blah, you're dooming us all again.' Speech." Plagg said and Adrian glanced down.

"So you know how to find Tikki?" Adrian said and Plagg scoffed.

"Well, yeah. I can contact Tikki, like Cat Noir can contact Ladybug." Plagg said and Adrian leaned forward.

"If you can find Tikki, then you can find Ladybug. So that means you can help me woo her." Adrian said and Plagg hesitated.

"Oh, I don't know about that." Plagg said and Adrian bit his lip.

"Come on Plagg, she is the love of my life, and if I don't get my fair shot, then I will go crazy." Adrian said and suddenly the car stopped.

"Hurry up and get your sword." His bodyguard said, and Adrian looked at the building.

"We aren't done with this." Adrian said, getting annoyed and rushing to his room to grab his fencing sword.

"Phew, after practice he'll be too tired to bug me about Ladybug. Which is good because I don't know how he would react when he finds out that Marinette is Ladybug." Plagg said to himself, and then he glanced around.

"Who am I talking to? Oh well, time for Camembert." Plagg said diving into the limo's minibar and pulling out a container of his favorite cheese.

"Man, that cat. Does he really think that I won't find out who Ladybug is?" Adrian said, grabbing the sword from his room and leaving.

"I give him a lot of freedom, and I ask him for one little thing, and he can't help me?" Adrian said, getting frustrated, but he quickly took a few deep breaths. After all, he didn't want to be akumatized. After all, what would Ladybug do if he couldn't help out. Then again when Chloe's mother got akumatized, she turned into Style Queen. She turned Adrian into glitter and he would have crumbled away. Ladybug managed to save the day by herself, and someone told her that he lost his miraculous. But who-

"Plagg." Adrian said out loud. That cheese-loving, good-for-nothing must have told Ladybug that lie. Probably to hide his identity, but still. Ladybug knows that he is trustworthy, because he doesn't lie to her. Adrian got back into the limo and he heard the sound of soft snoring. Noticing that the door to the minibar was ajar, he opened it and saw Plagg sleeping happily in a Camembert box.

"Heh, sleep tight buddy." Adrian said, feeling some of his annoyance fading away. His bodyguard slammed his foot down and the car took off like a speeding bullet.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Miraculous Ladybug or it's characters.

Chapter 2,

Marinette was lucky tin make the fencing team. Granted she was still learning, but she had great reflexes. But then again, she kinda needs to, if she was going to survive as Ladybug. It was bad enough to fight all of Hawk Moth's victims, but every once in a while, she had to fight Cat Noir. It wasn't easy being Ladybug, because she still wanted to live a normal life like every other girl. A life where she can get married to Adrian and become a world famous fashion designer. But she still had to save Paris and go to school in her time.

"Come on, places people, line up." The Fencing instructor, Armand D'Argencourt said and Marinette smiled at how modern he was becoming. She still remembers when Mister D'Argencourt was akumatized and turned into Dark Blade. He still likes to speak in old English, but he wanted to at least try to sound from the 21st Century.

But then when everyone lined up, Marinette got a good look at who all was there, and she failed to see her beloved.

"Excuse me, Mr. D'Argencourt." Marinette said with the simple raising of her hand.

"Thy madam may speak." Answered the fencing instructor.

"Well, Um, I don't see Adrian here yet. Has anyone seen him today?" Marinette asked the other students and it was met with a bunch of shrugging shoulders and shaking heads.

"Perhaps it is better for us to proceed with class. It is not fair for the other students to wait for Adrian." Kagami Tsurugi said. She was probably the only fencing student that matched Adrian's skill.

"Perhaps thy has a point." D'Argencourt said and Marinette blinked at this. She thought Kagami would at least be on her side, since her and Adrian tend to pair up quite frequently.

"Oh come on, we all know Adrian doesn't miss class unless something is wrong." Marinette said and a few people nodded.

"Regardless, he isn't here and it's time to pair up." Kagami said and Marinette but her lip to contain her annoyance.

"At least let me call him first to make sure everything is ok." Marinette said and D'Argencourt sighed.

"Thou will do what thy will." He said, giving her permission and Marinette smiled. She was walking to the locker room to get her phone, when Adrian rushed into the building.

"Ah, there he is." D'Argencourt said and Adrian rose an eyebrow at this speech pattern.

"Yeah, sorry, I forgot... my..." Adrian panted as he held up his sword and Marinette sighed in relief to see him there. She was almost worried that his father banned him from school again.

"Very well, good sir, you can change your dressings swiftly and join the rest of thy class." Mr. D'Argencourt said and Adrian nodded and ran to the locker room.

"As for the rest of you, pair up." Marinette heard, but she watched as the handsome boy ran off to change, when she turned back, she saw Kagami staring at her and Marinette bit her lip. It hasn't really been the same since that day in the ice rink. When Kagami skated past her and said, 'the only reason you can't stay on your feet is your hesitation. I never hesitate.' And then she took Adrian from her. Marinette wanted to remain positive and say that this was simple constructive criticism. But deep down she could still remember how upset this made her feel. She left the ice rink, leaving behind Adrian with Kagami, a girl who really could make him happy. The odd thing was that was the only date the two went on. Perhaps Kagami blames her for crashing their date. It's not like Marinette wanted to be there, she only went because Adrian asked her to. So why would Kagami hold such a grudge against her? But then again, she was a nice girl and she is wonderful at fencing, and she is still Adrian's friend; perhaps Marinette should make more of an effort to be Kagami's friend too.

"Hey, Kagami." Marinette said walking over to her.

"Yes." She simply said.

"Well, I was thinking that maybe we could pair up today. And then later we can go to my parent's bakery for a snack." Marinette offered and Kagami stared at her for a moment. But then that moment was gone. Kagami pursed her lips and put on her fencing helmet.

"I only practice with the best, that was I can become better." Kagami stayed and she turned her back to Marinette.

"And besides, why should one waste their life and youth eating sweets?" Kagami said and then she walked away, leaving Marinette to feel pretty lousy. She put on her helmet and walked over to the first available person she found.

In the locker room, Adrian looked at his Kwami and smiled.

"I have a nice unopened container of Camembert for my favorite little kitty." Adrian said holding it up and Plagg jumped from the bag and hugged the smelly box.

"Oh, my delicious runny beauty." Plagg exclaimed and Adrian pulled the box out of Plagg's hands.

"Ah, ah, ah." Adrian chided him and Plagg's lower lip trembled.

"Why would you tease me so?" Plagg asks and Adrian rolled his eyes.

"First you need to tell me how to find Ladybug." Adrian said and Plagg sighed.

"Dude, you have a one track mind." Plagg said and Adrian groaned.

"When it's about love it's ok to have a one track mind." Adrian said and Plagg pretended to throw up.

"Ew gross, why would you say something like that?" Plagg said.

"Plagg tell me how to find Ladybug?" Adrian ordered and Plagg blinked.

"Are you ordering me around? What happened to the Adrian who let me leave the house without permission, or warning?" Plagg said and Adrian narrowed his eyes.

"Plagg, you're my friend, but friends help each other out and I need you here." Adrian said and Plagg sighed.

"Listen Adrian, I understand where you're coming from, I really do. But you have got to understand that what you're asking me, isn't right." Plagg said and Adrian blinked.

"You just don't want to tell me." Adrian said and Plagg lowered his head.

"Adrian, it is impossible. Besides Ladybug doesn't want you to know who she is." Plagg said and Adrian scoffed.

"That's because she is worrie about Hawk Moth finding out who she is and putting her family and friends in danger. But if we could be completely honestly with each other then we can be together." Adrian said and Plagg was getting frustrated at the fact that Adrian wasn't listening to him.

"Well, maybe you just can't stand the thought that maybe Ladybug doesn't like you, doesn't want to be with you, and will never love you!" Plagg shouted and Adrian took a step back in surprise.

"You don't know what you're talking about Plagg, you don't even know Ladybug." Adrian said and Plagg hissed.

"I know her better then you do, buddy-boy." Plagg said.

"And what makes you say that?" Adrian asked, crossing his arms.

"Because I've seen her without her disguise!" Plagg shouted and then immediately covered his mouth.

"What?" Adrian asked, taking a step towards the nervous Kwami.

"I-I... well, I don't think that came out right." Plagg said and Adrian grabbed the tiny creature in his hands.

"Are you telling me that you knew who Ladybug was this whole time?" Adrian asked and Plagg gasped at this sudden reaction

"No-no, not the whole time." Plagg uttered and Adrian was getting so angry that it was taking all of his strength to not squeeze the Kwami.

"Then what?" Adrian said and Plagg was starting to get scared.

"Do you remember when you and Ladybug fought Dark Owl?" Plagg said and Adrian blinked slowly.

"Yeah, our principal wanted to be a superhero and then got embarrassed and turned into the Dark Owl" Adrian said and Plagg nodded.

"And remember what happened while you were fighting him?" Plagg asked and Adrian let go of Plagg.

"Actually, now that you mention it... I do. Ladybug told me to close my eyes and we both transformed back into our normal selfs. She gave Dark Owl fake miraculous', and gave you food to recharge your powers. I guess you saw her then." Adrian said and Plagg nodded. But Adrian was still upset. He could feel a long forgotten chest of anger he had hidden away, rising up, higher and higher, until-

"AHH!" Adrian shouted and he punched his locker, leaving a noticeable dent in the metal.

"Adrian, I've never seen you like this. Are you ok?@ Plagg asked and Adrian held up his hand up to the Kwami's face.

"Don't talk to me." Adrian said and Plagg knew that Adrian needed a minute to adjust to this news so the sad little Kwami flew through Adrian's buster locker.

And in the silence Adrian changed and focused in on the area he was in. Somehow this simple room that he had been in a million times seemed different, as if the very air was thicker. Adrian could faintly hear the sound of fencing swords clashing and slashing. But also, there was something else.

"Adri-kins!" Adrian recognized that voice anywhere. Therefore it was no surprise when Chloe stormed into the room and hugged her oldest friend.

"You will not believe the surprise that I've got for you." Chloe sang cheerfully and Adrian sighed.

"Actually, Chloe, I'm not really in the mood for-"

"My parents are doing a fashion show at my father's hotel, and after some discussion with those idiots at the modeling agency, they are gonna have me model the clothes." Chloe said and Adrian walked past her.

"Sounds great Chloe, I hope you have fun." Adrian said and Chloe clapped her hands.

"I didn't even tell you the best part." Chloe said and Adrian sighed.

"What's the best part?" He reluctantly asked.

"The best part is that there is only going to be two models. You and me." Chloe said and Adrian turned around.

"You can't have a fashion show with just two models, but Chloe waved him off.

"You can when your father is the mayor of all Paris. Now what do you say for me getting you such a sweet gig?" Chloe leaned in close, and Adrian's anger got more intense.

"Why would you do this to me without asking?" Adrian asked and Chloe blinked.

"What? I thought that you would be over the moon. Come one and tell me what a good friend I am." Chloe said and Adrian glared at her.

" 'good friend'? Well, a good friend would ask me if I wanted to do all that extra work, but instead you're just ordering me around like you order everyone else around. I don't even think I am your friend anymore." Adrian said and Chloe looked hurt.

"Of course we're friends. We're the best of friends Adri-kins, remember? You pinky-swore to be my friend forever." Chloe said, holding up her pinky to prove her point.

"Chloe... grow up." Adrian said and then he stormed out of the room, which got Marinette's attention. She called a timeout to her partner, and she ran over to him.

"Adrian, you ok?" Marinette asked, and she placed a hand on his shoulder. Unfortunately for her, Adrian was feeling defensive, and he elbowed her in the stomach, and hit the front of her helmet. Marinette hit the floor with a crash and her helmet flew off. When she looked up, she saw Adrian pointing his sword at her.

"Oh, it's you." He said disgusted to see her.

"I guess I startled you, I'm sorry." Marinette said and Adrian groaned.

"Or maybe I don't like being stalked by obsessive fans. You can't just go around following people, Marinette. Don't you agree?" Adrian said and Marinette was shocked by his behavior. Adrian reached his hand out to her, and she took it. But Adrian almost dislocated her shoulder when he yanked her up to her feet.

"Perhaps I should make one thing very clear." Adrian whispered and he squeezed Marinette's hand.

"O-ow, Adrian that hurts." Marinette complained, but Adrian only squeezed harder.

"I am sick of being a pawn in everyone's games. I can control my own destiny and choose who to love and they will love me back. So either back off and stay away from me, or I will get a restraining order." Adrian finally let go of Marinette and walked away.

Deep down, he knew Marinette was only trying to help, but he was blinded by anger to see that. Adrian felt lied to, cheated, and used, and Marinette was at the wrong place at the wrong time. And speaking of Marinette, she did her best to compose herself. She told the teacher that she didn't feel well, and went home.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own Miraculous Ladybug or it's characters.

Chapter 3,

A strong emotional wave washed over Hawk Moth as the window opened. He smiled widely at all of the pain and frustration that fueled his desire to help and aid this ailing soul.

"Rejected by love is one thing. But to be completely hated by the person you desire is another." Hawk Moth said and a Moth came to his hand and he infused it with dark energy.

"Fly away my little akuma and evilize her broken heart.

Marinette didn't say a word to her parents when she got home. She just sulked upstairs to her room letting the tears fall down her face. She sniffed and closed her door as quietly as possible. That's when she really let it all out. She pressed her back against the wall and let out sob after sob until her knees gave out. She fell into her hands and cringed at the pain. Tikki wanted to give Marinette privacy, but she knew something was major wrong.

"Marinette! What happened to your hand?" Tikki asked and Marinette looked at her hand, which already had dark bruises. No doubt it will look even worse by the end of the day.

"A-a..." Marinette could barely form the words, seeing her hand brought on a harsher wave of tears that burned Marinette's eyes.

"A what, a what?" Tikki asked asked and Marinette curled up into a tiny ball, cradling her hand as she went.

"Ad-drien." Marinette wailed and Tikki's eyes widened.

"Surely you're not telling me that Adrien is the one who busted your hand up." Tikki said and Marinette just cried, and cried, and cried.

"He-he hates me so much. He made me feel s-so worthless." Marinette said after a few minutes.

"You're not worthless Marinette. You mean a lot to your family and friends. Besides, without you, all of Paris would crumble at the hands of Hawk Moth. Paris needs Ladybug, Marinette." Tikki said.

"Well, maybe I'm just a bad Ladybug." Marinette said and she took off her earrings and shoved them into Tikki's fingerless hands.

"I'm just as pathetic as that mask I've been making for the school dance." Marinette whispered and Tikki looked over at the mask. Normally she hates it when Marinette removes her miraculous, but right now she needed to help her friend feel better. So Tikki put the Ladybug earrings away in their formal box, and then she grabbed the mask.

"Please stop crying Marinette; your mask is wonderful." Tikki said and she put the mask on Marinette.

"You know, everyone wears a mask, Tikki. I always thought Adrien was a good guy, but... now..." Marinette looked at her hand and started crying again. Tikki sighed, there wasn't much for her to do now, but wait. Tikki flew over and she sat on the miraculous box. But then she saw a dark moth approaching Marinette's window.

"AH!" Tikki said and Marinette looked at her Kwami. The dark moth flew between the glass and the frame and over to Marinette.

"Tikki! Take the miraculous and go find Cat Noir, RUN!" Marinette said, and Tikki took the box and flew far, far away. Marinette was too tired from crying to stand, but she crawled away with all of her strength. It wasn't enough though, because the akuma entered her mask and she could hear Hawk Moth's voice in her head.

"Masquerade, I am Hawk Moth, and I am here to help you." Hawk Moth said and Marinette covered her ears.

"The only person you want to help us yourself." Marinette said.

"My dear lady. I try to help many of the Parisians in our city. I give them the power to fulfill their hearts desires." Hawk Moth said and Marinette found some strength to sit up.

"You turn people into villains, and you can't force me to hurt people." Marinette said and Hawk Moth chuckled.

"Hurt people, no, no. I don't want you to hurt people." Hawk Moth said and Marinette paused.

"You don't?" Marinette asked and Hawk Moth shook his head; but how did she know that?

"No, of course not. I don't want to hurt others, and I certainly don't want you to jury others." Hawk Moth said, and Marinette believed him.

"Then what do you want?" Marinette asked.

"Why I want the same thing you do, Masquerade. I want to live in a world where we can all be honest with each other. Where we can have everyone walking around accepting what they think and feel. No more secrets, no more lies, no more hiding. Wouldn't that be nice?" Hawk Moth said and Marinette felt her heavy heart. She was sick and tired of lying to everyone that she cares about. And surely there are others who wished that they could be more open and honest.

"That would be nice." Marinette admitted.

"Then why don't you let me help you, my dear Masquerade. I can give you the power to help others. What do you say?" Hawk Moth asked and Marinette bit her lip.

"Well..." Marinette said, and she felt her body being covered in his dark magic.

Meanwhile, at the school, Adrien and the rest of the fencing class was in the locker rooms getting ready to leave for the day. Adrien was feeling much better. He was so fired up that he actually won a few matches against Kagami. Then he let his problems wash away in the shower. But when Adrien got to his locker, he saw the dent he had made and he remembered how mean he was to Plagg and Marinette. Adrien opened his locker and Plagg was floating there with his back to Adrien.

"Uh, hey." Adrien said softly and Plagg didn't move.

"Look, I'm sorry about earlier, Plagg. I overreacted and said somethings and... I'm sorry..." Adrien said and Plagg glanced at him, but kept his back to Adrien.

"Did you enjoy your Camembert?" Adrien asked, hoping for a little positivity.

"I didn't eat it." Plagg said and Adrien's eyes widened.

"What are you? Sick?" Adrien asked and Plagg faced Adrien. At this point most of the other students had left, but they didn't really pay attention to Adrien talking to himself.

"Of course, I'm sick. I'm sick of the way you let your love for Ladybug get in the way of everything else. You're a good kid, Adrien, but today you were down right awful." Plagg said and Adrien bit his lip.

"You're right. I shouldn't have gotten mad like that. I shouldn't have grabbed you or punch my locker." Adrien said and Plagg sighed.

"You know, if it was just that, I could easily forgive you." Plagg said and Adrien blinked.

"Huh?" Adrien said and Plagg nodded.

"Listen Adrien. I have been helping Cat Noir's for centuries. Do you really believe that you are the first one to have crush on Ladybug?" Plagg asked and Adrien paused. He hadn't really thought of Plagg being someone else's Kwami.

"Besides, I've been grabbed before, and that's ok. When you think about it, it's no big deal. I can fly through walls, do you seriously think I couldn't fly out of your hand if I wanted?" Plagg pointed out, and that did make Adrien feel a little better.

"But this isn't about me anymore." Plagg said and Adrien eyed him.

"It isn't?" Adrien asked, half-expecting the Kwami to make some cheese joke.

"I'm a cat, Adrien. Cat's have amazing hearing. And at first, I was kind of glad that you refused to let Chloe push you around. Though I think we both know you're gonna beat that photo shoot." Plagg paused to wink, and Adrien sighed when he remembered the shoot.

"But, no... I can't truly forgive you, until Marinette forgives you." Plagg said and Adrien blushed.

"Uh, what are you talking about?" Adrien asked. He knew exactly where the Kwami was going with this, but Adrien was kinda blocking that experience. He knew that he crossed a line.

"I think you know 'Adri-kens'. I can't believe you were so mean to her. She has been nothing but nice to you. Heck you even called her 'our everyday Ladybug'. And now you go and break her hand?" Plagg said and Adrien rubbed his arm.

"You're right. I guess I should go find her; before she leaves." Adrien said and Plagg sighed.

"Dude I actually watched your fight. You already missed her. She left right after you talked to her." Plagg informed him, and Adrien blinked. It's kind of hard to see who is who when everyone is in uniform, so he didn't see Marinette leave.

"Well then, I guess she is at home." Adrien said and Plagg saw that they were now alone in the locker room, so he floated out and looked at Adrien.

"That's probably the best place to start. Even is she isn't at home, there is a good chance that her folks know where she is." Plagg said and Adrien grabbed his stuff, but he stopped when he got to the door.

"What am I suppose to say?" Adrien asked and Plagg shrugged.

"I guess you could get on your knees and beg for forgiveness. Even if that's not enough to make her forgive you right away, it should at least get you on the right path." Plagg suggested and Adrien smiled.

"Yeah, I guess I better go tell my bodyguard that I need to run to Marinette's. Good thing she lives so close to the school." Adrien said and he went ahead and walked outside. But that's when he started to suspect that something was wrong. His big burly bodyguard was on his knees, crying. Shocked, Adrien inched his way towards the emotional man.

"Hey, are you-" Adrien stopped when the guard looked up at him, and he was wearing a mask.

"Did I ever tell you, that I could have married my high school sweetheart?" The guard said and Adrien blinked. Normally his guard acts like a tough silent man. Almost like a moving statue. And now he was crying and talking?

"She wanted to get married, and I told her that I didn't want to get married. That was a lie. I was embarrassed because I couldn't afford a nice wedding ring. I was trying to save up enough money for a ring when she broke up with me. She is married with a family now, and that makes me pretty sad. Because I-I s-still love her. Oh! Adrien you are the closest thing I have to a son. You mean so much to me." The bodyguard cried and then he wrapped his arms around the blond boy.

"Thank you? You mean a lot to me as well." Adrien said confused.

"Adrien!" A powerful voice called and Adrien turned and saw a beautiful masked enchantress. And she looked so incredibly familiar

"Do I know you?" Adrien asked and the masked figure chuckled.

"Ironic. I have wasted so much time thinking that I knew who you really are. But I failed. And know everyone will see." The woman said and Adrien took a step back to block his guard.

"I am Masquerade, and from now on people will see and the anger and frustration you hide." Masquerade said and she placed two fingers against her mask, like an informal salute. Then she pointed at Adrien and a dark mask headed straight for him.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own Miraculous Ladybug or it's characters.

Chapter 4,

As the dark mask approached Adrien, he wondered how that would affect him. He also wondered if Ladybug was already on her way to save the day.

"No!" The bodyguard screamed and he grabbed Adrien and twisted the both of them around. So the mask hit the bodyguard's back and Adrien stepped away from him to see what the grown man was gonna do. The guard blinked and then he let out an animalistic growl.

"Oh no." Adrien said and the guard glared at him.

"You're father is a cruel man. And he ruined my life. The best way to crush him, is to crush the one thing he loves more than anything else. You." The bodyguard said and Adrien gasped.

"Whoa, Whoa, I'm sure that we can talk about this." Adrien said, and the bodyguard picked up a nearby trash can and threw it at Adrien.

"Or not." Adrien said and he dodged the trash can and ran away from the scene.

"Get back here!" The bodyguard shouted.

"Fine, run Adrien! Just know that you can't hide forever. I know this city like the back of my hand." Masquerade called out, but the bodyguard started chasing after Adrien.

"Forget that, I can find him now." He said and Masquerade turned away.

"I suppose I can always spread the truth while I wait for Adrien." Masquerade said and she heard Hawk Moth's voice in her head.

"While we wait, do you have another ailing soul that you can help?" Hawk Moth asked.

"Perhaps it would be wise to go after his little fan girl." Masquerade said with a smile and Hawk Moth mimicked her smile.

"I like the way you think, Masquerade. Let's go find Chloe together." He said and Masquerade nodded.

"I know just where to find her." Masquerade said.

Meanwhile, Adrien ran as fast as he could, but it did little good. His bodyguard trained everyday for exercise like this. The man is literally built to outrun anyone he met. Including the famous model/superhero that Adrien is.

"You got to ditch him, man. We got to stop Masquerade." Adrien could hear Plagg say through his shirt.

"Well, I'm opened to suggestions." Adrien said as the guard threw a mailbox at him.

"Wait, that thing was full. How did he lift that?" Plagg asked and Adrien rolled his eyes.

"Any ideas, buddy?" Adrien said and it looked like an uprooted tree got thrown at them.

"Well, he is focused on his anger right now, maybe we could use that anger against him." Plagg suggest and Adrien looked down at the little creature.

"How is making him more upset gonna help me?" Adrien asked and Plagg shrugged.

"I don't know, is there any people he hates more then your father?" Plagg asked.

"Well, I guess there is this one cop that could work. He always writes a lot of tickets and it makes my bodyguard mad. But that wouldn't really do much good." Adrien said and Plagg shrugged.

"I don't know, dude. The sooner you lose that angry gorilla, the sooner you and Ladybug can defeat Masquerade, and the sooner things can go back to normal." Plagg pointed out and Adrien groaned.

"I don't like this." Adrien said and Plagg rolled his eyes.

"Your complaints is noted. Look there's that cop." Plagg pointed out and Adrien saw the man writing get another pile of parking tickets.

"Hey, isn't that the cop who keeps writing you up?" Adrien called back to his bodyguard, who froze when he saw the lawman.

"You!" The bodyguard growled out and Adrien sighed when the brute stopped chasing him, but Adrien didn't have time to rest. He dove into the alley.

"Let's go stop Masquerade. Plagg, Clawd Out!" Adrien said as he transformed into his alter ego.

Adrien's friend, Chloe, spent most of rest time running around her father's hotel. She loved to dress up in her Ladybug costume, pretending to fight Akumatized victims. It was her favorite past time, so Masquerade knew this would be the place to go. Masquerade burst through the doors and she saw Chloe's butler. Possibly the one person who truly cared about Chloe and convinces her to do something different.

"Mademoiselle, may I help you?" He asked and Masquerade smiled.

"Such a kind man, it must be hard to stay so positive, especially around Chloe. Let me make it easier for you to express your negative emotions." Masquerade said and she saluted and sent a mask flying towards him. Once it hit him, the butler slumped his shoulders and his head was tilted lazily.

"What is going on here?" The mayor boasted and the butler turned to him.

"Why look who it is. The fat, lying, politician, who doesn't have a spine." The butler said and mayor Bourgeois took a step back.

"What is the meaning of this?" The figurehead shouted and Masquerade eyed him for a moment.

"You know, mayor Bourgeois, he does have a point. When it comes to Chloe or her mother, you do become spineless. But when you were the Malediktator, you acted like an overlord. Perhaps it would be wise to bring out a more nurturing side of you." Masquerade said and she threw a mask at the mayor.

"You really should straighten your back, darling." Mayor Bourgeois said to Masquerade, who blinked.

"It would save you multitudes of medical bills in your 80's. Do as I say, mother knows best after all." Mayor Bourgeois said and Masquerade couldn't help but chuckle.

"Not what I was expecting, but I can roll with this." Masquerade said and she walked past the two gentlemen.

"You were not excused young lady." Mayor said and Masquerade rolled her eyes.

"Where is your daughter?" Masquerade asked.

"In her room of course. But we need to have a serious discussion on your attitude, little lady. You rolled your eyes, demanded information and you don't even say 'please', 'thank you' or 'sorry'." The mayor said and Masquerade smiled/

" _Please_ know that I am _sorry_ for the way you interpreted my behavior, and _thank you_ for telling me where Chloe is." Masquerade said in a slight sarcastic tone, and then she walked away.

"Don't take that tone with me." The mayor shouted.

"You're not my real mom." Masquerade called back.

"Just wait until your father gets home." The mayor said and Masquerade laughed at his current actions.

Cat Noir searches the streets, looking for where Masquerade went. Ironically it was a pretty calm afternoon. There was only a few people with masks, but he just couldn't understand what Masquerade's master plan was. He was a firefighter telling people his fears; a depressed student singing songs like 'singing in the rain' and 'Angel of music'; and then there was a librarian that people pushed around, who was screaming orders through a megaphone. None of these people were acting similarly. It was a little like Reversion, where people simply acted the opposite of how they normally behaved. But no, that wasn't quite right. It seemed like this was what the people really felt. Like when his bodyguard confessed how he felt about Adrien and his father. Masquerade was amplifying a person's real emotions.

"Masquerade knows me, and she seemed to have a grudge against me for some reason." Cat Noir said and he decided to call Ladybug, but there was no answer.

"Ladybug, when you get this, I need your help. There is an akumatized victim named Masquerade. Where are you?" Cat Noir said and he hung up. Then he took a deep breath and decided to think about this logically.

"Ok, Masquerade is amplifying emotions, and she is mad at Adrien. So who is an emotional mess that means a lot to me?" Cat Noir said and it only took him a minute before he knew the answer.

"Oh, no. Chloe!" Cat Noir ran as fast as he could, but feared she may already be a goner.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I do not own Miraculous Ladybug or it's characters.

Chapter 5,

Chloe was going through the clothes the agency sent over, when she came in.

"Ugh! Don't you dare mess with this line you fashion drop out. These clothes were handcrafted by the finest designers in Paris." Chloe shouted at Masquerade. Masquerade looked at the blonde child, and some of Masquerades anger went away.

"Masquerade, go. This is your chance to get back at Adrien for his treatment of you." Hawk Moth's voice called out and Masquerade sighed.

"I wanted to come here and turn you into a hostage to lure Adrien out of hiding. But now that I see you, I can see that you too are in need of my help." Masquerade said and Chloe scoffed.

"Help? The only help I need is getting your big butt out the door." Chloe said.

"Listen to the way she disrespects you. Kidnap her now." Hawk Moth ordered and Masquerade shook her head.

"No." She deserves better then that." Masquerade told Hawk Moth who was confused by her actions.

"Chloe, as I stand here, watching you defend your wardrobe with your very life, it occurs to me that you aren't that happy." Masquerade said and Chloe gasped and crossed her arms.

"How dare you. There are thousands of people in Paris who wish to be me, do that makes me the happiest Parisians in Paris." Chloe said.

"I agree, punish her." Hawk Moth edged on.

"I'm not here to punish, I'm here to help."

Masquerade practically hissed at Hawk Moth.

"Chloe." Masquerade said and she took a step towards Chloe and that caused her to raise her hands to defend her clothes once again.

"Your father spends all of his time in government offices. Your mother left you when you were little to live in New York. Only recently has she been back in your life, and even then she spends so much of her time designing and hardly speaking to you." Masquerade said and Chloe's expression softened.

"You only have one friend, but you are still mean to her. And when it was your teacher's birthday, you forgot to get her a present and you felt so bad that you wreaked another gift so you could feel better." Masquerade said and Chloe lowered her arms once more.

"How... how did you know all that?" Chloe asked.

"I think deep down you want to be more vulnerable with people, but you have had to be strong for so long that you forgot what that means." Masquerade said and no one said a word. The air grew so dense that they couldn't even hear the most famous cat in Paris climbing up the building.

"My gift to you, Chloe, is the ability to be more vulnerable and open with your pain." Masquerade said and she pointed at her own mask and threw a copy at Chloe.

"No!" Cat Noir said and he burst through the window doors right as the mask hit Chloe. The room paused as they waited for Chloe to react to something.

"Well, I really don't feel different, you poor excuse for a villain." Chloe said and Car Noir blinked. Did this mask really not affect her?

"You just weren't feeling anything real, Chloe." Masquerade said and she saw a photo on the fire place.

"Uh, hello, all of my feelings are real. What a ridiculous notion, absolutely ridiculous." Chloe said and Masquerade threw a mask at the photo. The mask circled around the photo and it suddenly appeared in Chloe's hands.

"I-I remember this day." Chloe whispered and tears started to form in her eyes.

"Chloe?" Cat Noir said cautiously as he slowly walked towards Masquerade. He had a feeling that if Masquerade kept giving others masks, then her Akuma must be in her mask. If he was careful he can get it. But where was Ladybug?

"This picture was taken on my birthday... r-right before mom went go New York, a-and..." Chloe wailed in pain, heavy tears staining her face.

"See, these are you're real feelings, Chloe. No need to hide them anymore." Masquerade said, then she looked over at Cat Noir. She thought about giving Cat Noir a mask too, but she made the mistake of looking into those kind feline eyes. Cat Noir saw a familiar gaze in those eyes, and he was conflicted. This was a villain he needed to fight, but his primal instinct said that he could trust this Masquerade.

"Cat Noir is dumbfounded! Steal his miraculous now!" Hawk Moth shouted and Masquerade hesitated.

"What are you waiting for?" Hawk Moth asked and Masquerade had to think of something fast.

"There will be plenty of time to get his akuma, besides Ladybug isn't here." Masquerade said and she smirked softly and Cat Noir blinked. This was no ordinary victim. Normally they don't mess with Hawk Moth.

"Ladybug or no Ladybug, I want your akuma." Cat Noir said and he dove at Masquerade.

"And I want Adrien." Masquerade said and then she jumped over Cat Noir and out the window.

"Forget Adrien. I gave you power to help the Parisians and to get Ladybug and Cat Noir's miraculous." Hawk Moth shouted.

"Do you think that it will be so easy to lose me?" Cat Noir said. Running right beside Masquerade, and she just wanted to get away from him.

"Stop!" Hawk Moth shouted and Masquerade's legs stopped abruptly and Cat Noir slid and stared at her.

"Hawk Moth, we can leave Cat Noir alone until Ladybug or Adrien come out of hiding." Masquerade said and Cat Noir got into a fighting stance and watched this villain carefully.

"I know you want the miraculous." Masquerade said and Cat Noir's ears managed to pick up the sound. He wasn't exactly sure why she was talking to herself.

"No. Let's wait. Why? I... I don't want to hurt Cat Noir. Because... Because he's my friend." Masquerade said and Cat Noir was surprised to hear this, because Masquerade's body started to shake and this black magic started to surround her.

"AAHHH!" You couldn't see her anymore, but you didn't need sensitive hearing to notice her blood curdling scream. Cat Noir dropped his baton and covered his ears, because they noticed a bit too much. Her scream of pain quickly turned into a howl of anger. The cloud disappeared and Masquerade stormed right to Cat Noir. She threw a mask at the lamppost and it appeared in her hands. Cat Noir noticed the sound got closer and he looked up and saw Masquerade right on top of him. She swung and he quickly jumped out of the way. He landed right on top of the lamppost and he ran up it towards her. Masquerade threw Cat Noir against a nearby car. Cat Noir groaned and gasped when he saw the lamppost heading straight for him. He rolled off the car and trembled at the lamppost cutting a sizable scrape/hole off the top of the car. He took a soothing breath and jumped into Masquerade's line of sight. He ran at her and Masquerade sighed. Though her mind was a bit cloudy, she still tried to find a way to get rid of Cat Noir without out hurting him or letting Hawk Moth know what she was doing.

"Why so silent? I don't have your tongue." Cat Noir asked and Masquerade groaned and threw a mask at Cat Noir's tail.

"A-" the belt appeared in her hand with Cat Noir attached.

"-dri-" she spun around quickly making Cat Noir spin around and around.

"-en!" Masquerade three Cat Noir high in the air and watched his disappear.

"No! Why did you do that?" Hawk Moth shouted and Masquerade gasped.

"Ladybug always shows up when Cat Noir is in trouble." Masquerade said and after a minute of silence, Hawk Moth knew this was true.

"Correct Masquerade. It is a bit odd that she hasn't shown up yet. Keep up your guard though. She could be hiding anywhere." Hawk Moth warned.

"Whoa!" Cat Noir yelled and he landed on the roof of the school.

"Back to square one, I see." Cat Noir said as he looked around.

"Guess I need to retrace my paw prints." Cat Noir said and he started running.

"Wait!" A little red bug flew right in front of Cat Noir's face and he almost fell off the roof when he saw it.

"What the-" Cat Noir blinked as he looked at it. It actually looked a lot like Plagg, but a ladybug version. Wait.

"Are you Ladybug's Kwami.? The one Plagg was telling me about? Tikki?" Cat Noir said and Tikki nodded.

"Though I don't know why that cheese lover has been talking about me, yes, I am Tikki." Tikki said and Cat Noir ran his hands through his hair.

"Well, I guess that explains why I have been one Ladybug short. Where is she?" Cat Noir asked and Tikki's eyes widened.

"We need to go to master. I'll show you the way since you've never been there." Tikki said and Cat Noir shook his head.

"What? A master? We can't see a master now, when this Masquerade character is masking everyone's feelings. Or unmasking as it were." Cat Noir said and Tikki hesitated. Cat Noir really started to get worried.

"Tikki, please tell me. Where is Ladybug?" Cat Noir said and Tikki sighed heavily.

"Ladybug is... well." Tikki still wasn't sure that this was the right course of action, but she knew that she needed Cat Noir's help. Marinette asked Tikki to find Cat Noir, so Tikki has to be honest with him, like Ladybug would.

"Adrien, this might be hard for you to accept, but... Masquerade is Ladybug." Tikki said and Cat Noir's heart sank.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I do not own Miraculous Ladybug or it's characters.

Chapter 6,

"Ok, ok, this is so much at one time." Adrien said. Tikki took Adrien to Master Fu and they kinda bombarded Adrien with information.

"Ok, so I met you before because you gave me my Miraculous and that Camembert box of cheeses that transform Plagg." Adrien said and Master Fu nodded.

"Very true. You seemed very interested in Plagg's transformations. You didn't ask many questions about other matters." Master Fu said and Adrien crossed his arms.

"I guess those times Ladybug got a weird Lucky Charm and ran off, she was coming to talk to you." Adrien thought out loud and Master Fu nodded.

"It's true. But as I told you before it was hard for Ladybug to hide this from you. It broke her heart to lie to her trusted Cat Noir." Master Fu said and Adrien groaned.

"Oh, I feel so out of the loop." Adrien complained.

"Who cares about being in the loop when you still got to kick lots of Akumatized butts." Plagg said and Tikki glared at him.

"You should be more sensitive to Adrien's feelings and encourage him to listen to his instincts." Tikki said and Plagg groaned.

"You and your instincts, I swear you don't think an instinct can be wrong?" Plagg said.

"Ladybug works better when she stops overthinking and simply does what she needs to do." Tikki said and Adrien watched them. Tikki was very serious and Plagg was more, well, Plagg.

"Kwami's, Kwami's, don't fight. We have got a serious situation on our hands." Master Fu said and he had a plate in his hand.

"I brought you some food to keep you occupied while Cat Noir and I speak. Plagg I got your favorite pungent cheese, Camembert. And for you Tikki, a nice, fresh chocolate macaroon." Master Fu said and Adrien smiled at how excited the Kwami's got.

"Plagg loves smelly cheese and Tikki has a sweet tooth." Adrien states and Master Fu smiled and chuckled softly.

"Technically Plagg enjoys salty foods. He use to have crackers, fries, and pretzels, and chips. Until he discovered how much he enjoyed the smell and taste of cheese." Master Fu said and Adrien blinked.

"Interesting, Plagg doesn't really talk about his life before he met me." Adrien said and Master Fu nodded.

"A man does not tell his wife about past romances." Master Fu said and Adrien looked out the window.

"Regardless, I still find it hard to believe that my Ladybug could be Akumatized." Adrien said and Master Fu smiled/

" 'your Ladybug'?" Master Fu repeated and Adrien blushed.

"Oh, uh, yeah, since there were, uh, others." Adrien said nervously and Master Fu nodded.

"You feel possessive over Ladybug because she possesses your heart. That is natural." Master Fu said understandingly and Adrien sighed.

"Ok, yes. I'm in love with Ladybug, I admit it. But it doesn't seem like my emotions really matter here." Adrien said.

"I won't be so sure, Adrien. You would be surprised how similar you and Ladybug are." Master Fu said.

"Master Fu, as much as I want to believe that, we still have to deal with the reality that Ladybug is Masquerade." Adrien said and Master Fu frowned.

"Yes, that does complicate matters." Master Fu took a deep breath.

"There is a simple solution, but I doubt you will be excited for it." Master Fu said. He turned around and picked up a miraculous box and Adrien stared at it.

"My boy, since Ladybug has been Akumatized, you must give me the Cat Noir ring and put on the Ladybug earrings." Master Fu said and Adrien gasped.

"M-me? Be Ladybug? I can't... how could I, I'm just a...? Why do I have to give you my ring?" Adrien asked and Master Fu took a deep breath.

"If someone were to possess the earrings and the ring, they would be able to shape reality as we know it. The harm is that nature demands a balance. The outcomes are too dangerous and unpredictable to manage." Master Fu said and Adrien blinked.

"Are you sure? I mean think of all the lives we could save." Adrien said and Master Fu pursed his lips.

"To save one, the universe would take another before their time. Imagine a mother uses that power to bring her husband back to life, but when she does, nature takes one of her children's lives away." Master Fu said and Adrien blinked then sighed heavily.

"Ok, ok, here's the ring." Adrien said as he slipped the miraculous off and handed it to the guardian.

"Thank you Adrien." Master Fu said and he took the ring and carefully put them in the miraculous box and handed Adrien the earrings.

"They look different." Adrien said and Master Fu nodded.

"It is true, but your ring looks different when you aren't Car Noir." Master Fu said and Adrien knew that was true.

"Master, may I say something to Adrien?" Tikki asked and Adrien blinked at the little red Kwami.

"Ladybug was nervous too, Adrien. If you recall she didn't even want to fight Stoneheart until you comforted her concerns on not being good enough." Tikki said and Adrien recalled this.

"Hard to believe Ladybug didn't feel like a superhero, but you're right." Adrien said.

"Your Ladybug is great because she is quick on her feet and she trusts her instincts. She told me to find you Adrien. And I'm sure you'll know what to do." Tikki said and Adrien smiled.

"You're really good at pep talks." Adrien said and Tikki giggled.

"Of course being with M-" Tikki's mouth filled with bubbles that poured out of her mouth.

"I'm sorry, I can't say Ladybug's real name to you or anywhere around Plagg. But being with Ladybug has given me lots of practice with giving pep talks." Tikki said and Adrien smiled.

"Ok, I'll be Ladybug." Adrien said and Tikki flew up and hugged Adrien's face.

"Master Fu? What will I do if Ladybug is better then me and I can't get her Akuma?" Adrien asked and Master Fu looked at him.

"Well, you could always return and get someone to help you. But from what you told me, I'm confident that you will succeed." Master Fu said and Adrien looked out the window.

"When Ladybug trusts her instincts and does what she thinks is right, she can be unstoppable. Especially when your fighting along side her. But Ladybug is running on her anger, thanks to Hawk Moth. Anger is brute and stiff and irrational. She is not herself." Master Fu said and Adrien nodded.

"You could say that again. But that's why I got to save her. I got to transform, and take Masquerade's mask, get her Akuma and then Ladybug will- will... wait." Adrien suddenly became light headed and he reached his hand out and leaned his weight on the window seal.

"I... I'm about to find out Ladybug's real identity aren't I?" Adrien asked and Master Fu put his hands behind his back.

"It is highly probable, Adrien. I must admit it is highly unusual to trade Miraculous. In the past heroes would choose for their identity to be revealed. It is unfair to ask you to be responsible for all this, Adrien. But Ladybug needs you to be strong because she trusts you." Master Fu said and Plagg flew over.

"What's the big deal Adr-" Plagg's mouth filled with bubbles since he is now next to Tikki.

"Excuse me. Who cares though? You have been dying to know who Ladybug was since you two first met." Plagg said and Adrien closed his eyes.

"Plagg this is different." Tikki complained.

"What, it's true. You should have seen him earlier. He was mean to me, Chloe, and that Marinette girl; because he wanted to find out who Ladybug was." Plagg said and Tikki shook her head.

"He can fix all of that later, Plagg. But right now, he really should be focusing on the task at hand. Even if he learns Ladybug's true identity, he needs to save her now. Otherwise she will never be Ladybug again. It is better for him to risk learning her identity and save her, then it is to let her stay in her current state." Tikki said and Plagg couldn't argue with her, so instead he stuck his tongue out at her. Adrien looked down at the earrings and took a deep breath.

"I guess we better get going, Tikki." Adrien said and Master Fu pulled a few bottles.

"First you need to get the miraculous on." Master Fu said and Adrien's eyes widened.

"You mean... pierce my ears. My dad will kill me." Adrien said and Master Fu got some cotton swabs.

"You must do what you need to do. I've got some numbing agents to help with the pain, we will figure out the rest later." Master Fu said. Nervously Adrien walked over and laid down in front of Master Fu.

"Even with these numbing agents, you may still feel a pinch of pain. Are you ready?" Master Fu asked as he prepped Adrien's ears.

"No, but go ahead." Adrien consented and he closed his eyes.

"Alright." Master Fu said.

"This is for you Ladybug." Adrien whispered.

"It will be better to do them at the same time. Now hold still... and... 1, 2,-"

"AAAHHH!!!"


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I do not own Miraculous Ladybug or it's characters.

Chapter 7,

"Adrien! Where are you?" Masquerade screeched. She searched high and low for that spoiled brat. She grew more angry by the minute, but that was only the surface. Deep down she knew that all of this must have been a misunderstanding. Unfortunately whenever Masquerade got a bit soft or merciful, Hawk Moth would punish her. He was growing impatient with the lack of superheroes fighting. And the more impatient he got, the less lenient he was with Masquerade.

"Adrien!" Masquerade mind was foggy. Each punishment made her less and less Marinette. Little did she know, Adrien was carefully following her.

"Tikki, she seems different then earlier." Adrien said. Master Fu gave Adrien a ziplock bag of ice and some paper towels for any bleeding from his piercings.

"She is different, Adrien." Tikki stated and Adrien watched Masquerade walk towards the Eiffel Tower. Suddenly she stopped at one of Adrien's many fragrance ads. Adrien saw Masquerade's anger fade away as she stared at the ad.

"Huh?" Adrien said and Tikki watched as well. Masquerade whispered something, and then her body clenched together as if she were tied with an invisible rope and she cried out in pain.

"Tikki, what's happening?" Adrien asked.

"Hawk Moth is squeezing Masquerade with his hand." Tikki explained sadly and Adrien blinked.

"What, how? Hawk Moth's Powers is to give others powers?" Adrien asked and Tikki sighed.

"The linger you have the powers, the more control Hawk Moth has over his villains. He could control body parts, or squeezing them as you already saw, or-"

"Or covering them in a dark cloud to hurt them." Adrien interrupted as he remembered this from earlier.

"Yes, if the victim needs extreme persuasion." Tikki said and Adrien's face grew concerned.

"How many times could he do that before he really hurts her?" Adrien asked.

"Honestly, it depends on the person. Ladybug is tough so she could probably handle more. But she has a deep need to protect people. It's probably taking Hawk Moth a lot of energy to keep Ladybug as Masquerade." Tikki said and Adrien watched as Hawk Moth released Masquerade and she threw a mask at the Ad and then Masquerade transported it up into the air and then drop down with a grand crash.

"Well, I'm still not sure if I can do this alone, but Master Fu is right about one thing." Adrien said.

"What's that?" Tikki asked.

"She isn't herself. Maybe I can take her." Adrien said and Tikki flew up and checked Adrien's ears.

"Looks like the bleeding has stopped. Are you ready to transform?" Tikki asked, and Adrien took a deep breath.

"Plagg, Claws Out!" Adrien said and Masquerade whipped around.

"What was that?" She asked aloud.

"No, no, no, that is not what Ladybug says." Tikki whispered and Adrien saw that he got Masquerade's attention.

"Perhaps that is Cat Noir, coming to ruin your chances of finding Adrien." Hawk Moth said to Masquerade.

"Adrien." She said almost zombie-like.

"Oh, uh, sorry. What does Ladybug say? 'Bug out'?" Adrien asked nervously.

"Go see who it is." Hawk Moth ordered and Masquerade started walking towards Adrien.

"No, Adrien. Not bug out. Spots on." Tikki clarified.

"Well, spots on already." Adrien said and for the first time Adrien transformed into Ladybug. His masked appeared first, then his sleeves and rest flowed down his body and then that circular purse appeared on his hip.

"Odd, this kinda feels the same as the Cat Noir suit." Adrien whispered and he saw Masquerade getting closer.

"Adrien." Masquerade said and she rounded the corner and there was a dark figure leaning against the wall.

"It must be Cat Noir, get his Miraculous, now!" Hawk Moth ordered and she growled as the figure stepped out into the light.

"What?" Hawk Moth wondered out loud.

"Cat?" Masquerade asked and Cat Noir grabbed the Ladybug yo-yo and started playing with it.

"I had to step in for Malady, since she isn't feeling herself. I hope you're not mad at my Bugaboo." Cat Noir said and Masquerade blinked.

"You're not really a Cat Noir, or a Ladybug, so what are you?" Masquerade asked and Cat Noir blinked.

"Why are you making chitchat? Just take the earrings and make him tell you where the Cat Noir ring is." Hawk Moth said.

"Well Catbug sounds a bit odd, so even though I'm a guy, just call me Lady Noir. It flows off the tongue better." Lady Noir said Masquerade's body shook a little and Hawk Moth forced her to lunge at Lady Noir.

"Whoa!" Masquerade commented and Lady Noir easily dodged out of her reach.

"Hmm." Lady Noir noticed and he started spinning the Yo-yo as a added defense.

"Lady Noir, I'm gonna take your miraculous, and then I'll force you to tell me where the Cat Noir ring is." Masquerade said and she threw a mask at the fence and it lifted out of the ground.

"Oh." Lady Noir said as it started to chase him.

"Uh, bug out." Lady Noir said and he ran off. Oddly though this phrase rang deep into Masquerade's core. She had always said this phrase after she saved the day. It felt different then this. And suddenly Masquerade wasn't sure if she was helping the people around her or not.

"Go after him!" Hawk Moth urged and Masquerade hesitated.

"Am I really helping people?" Masquerade wondered out loud and Hawk Moth sighed.

"You are relentless, Masquerade. I fear that I'm gonna have to take over." Hawk Moth said and this confused Masquerade.

"But your spirit reminds me of someone important to me." Hawk Moth said and in Masquerade's mind, she saw flashes of this woman with blonde hair and green eyes. She found it odd to see such vivid memories of this blonde laughing and talking and even holding a baby.

"Let me give you one last chance, Masquerade, to get Cat Noir-er, Lady Noir and give me the miraculous." Hawk Moth said and Masquerade straightened her back. Lady Noir was surprised at how much a fence could do. The pointed parts were being thrown at him like Agate Arrowheads, and the straight rods kept trying to tie him up.

"Oh, this is so stupid. Ladybug wouldn't be running like this." Lady Noir said. He stopped and he took out the yo-yo. He spun it as the arrows were being shot at him. As for the bits trying to tie him up, he jumped up into the air, and with the help from the yo-yo, he ties a pretty standard knot.

"Heh, can't believe I left Boy Scouts." Lady Noir said and a mask flew past him and on the knot. The knot was transported above his head.

"Knot quite." Masquerade said and she dropped the Metal knot, but Lady Noir jumped out of the way just in time.

"I heard that there is always time for a bow, but that's ridiculous." Lady Noir said, and Masquerade smirked.

"You're starting to bug me." Masquerade said.

"Starting now? I must be off my game." Lady Noir said. Masquerade shot out masks at Lady Noir.

"As soon as one of these touches you, you will give into your emotions of dedication and follow me." Masquerade said and she threw mask after mask, but Lady Noir just kept dodging them.

"Ha! Can't touch this. Do, do, do, do, do, do, do, do, cha." Lady Noir sang when he dodged even more. With a growl, Masquerade stopped and she looked around at the scared onlookers. There was about ten of them, and she threw a mask at each of them.

"Parisians. This kitty is trying to overthrow the true Ladybug. He had already stolen her miraculous. Show him your true feelings." Masquerade said and Lady Noir watched the crowd surround him. Instinctively, he reached for his stick, but that doesn't come with this suit. He just had the yo-yo that he wasn't use to dealing with.

"Masquerade, I think that you're a big hypocrite." Lady Noir said and Masquerade blinked and held up her hand and the ten pawns stopped.

"You are trying to show everyone how great it is to be honest about their feelings, but you are hiding yourself. What would your mom say or even your dad or your friends?" Lady Noir said and Masquerade hesitated she tried to remember who she was before she got the mask.

"I don't know." Masquerade said and she lowered her hand and the ten started moving again and Lady Noir spun the yo-yo.

"You don't know what your family and friends would say? That's hard to believes." Lady Noir said.

"I-I don't remember." Masquerade admitted and Masquerade tried to remember something, anything. And Lady Noir noticed, how much she struggled. She really isn't the Ladybug he has come to know and love.

"The only thing I remember, is my anger towards Adrien. Attack the imposter." Masquerade ordered. Lady Noir swung the yo-yo. He hit people, and dodged them, and forced people to trip by grabbing their ankles with the yo-yo.

"Adrien is gone." Lady Noir heard a familiar voice say. He glanced over someone and saw his bodyguard. But his suit was messed up and torn, and he was drenched in sweat.

"No!" Masquerade yelled and her mask started to shake and Lady Noir knew he had to get away. He swung the yo-yo up to the lamppost and he catapulted his way to a nearby roof. He turned around and saw Masquerade's mask multiplying so many masks that it looked like a beacon of darkness. It shot up and then the masks covered the sky, eliminating the light.

"Ok, I've never done this, but I think it's time. Lucky charm." Lady Noir said and the device flew up into the air and spun like it always does and down came...

"A human-size hamster ball? What am I suppose to do with this?" Lady Noir said and he looked around just like Ladybug does but he still didn't know how to use it.

"What? Where did that bug go? Find him! Attack every door in Paris if you must." Masquerade said and Lady Noir didn't want to be seen, so he stepped a bit closer to the roof pool. He looked down at his reflection and his reflection flashed in red and black spots. Confused he looked back at the hamster ball and it flashed in red and black spots, and how he understood.

"Oh, the ball is for me." He thought out loud and he quickly hid inside.

"Parisians!" Masquerade's voice said and Lady Noir looked into the sky and saw a giant face made out of masks.

"Aren't you tired of suppressing your emotions? Well, I'm here to tell you that you don't have to worry about it anymore. Feel free to express your jealousy and resentment towards two people.

Adrien's Agreste, who isn't what he seems; and Cat Noir, or should I say 'Lady Noir' because he is trying to be Ladybug. Find them, fight them and bring them to me!" Masquerade said and all of the masks in the sky crashed down and Lady Noir flinched and covered his face with his arms and he fell to his knees when the ball shook. He took a shaky breath and looked up. The ground was covered in masks, and he carefully stood. It was a good thing he had the ball instead of an umbrella. If he stepped on one of those masks, it would probably turn him. But when he was standing, he looked over at the pool, and he saw how the masks were dissolving in the water and Lady Noir smiled.


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I do not own Miraculous Ladybug or it's characters.

Chapter 8,

Turns out the roof Adrien had jumped unto was Le Grand Paris Hotel. He knew he had to get Tikki some food, and so he just had to find his way to the kitchen without getting caught. Everyone in Paris was going after Adrien and Lady Noir. It wasn't safe to be out in the open for too long.

"How you doing Tikki?" Adrien whispered and he had Tikki in his hands.

"I'm fine, I just need to fuel up." Tikki whispered back and Adrien nodded. Adrien was going down the stairwell he found on the roof. Most people use the elevator, so in the staircase, Adrien only had to avoid the occasional mask.

"Finally. This is the floor with the kitchen." Adrien said.

"Tread lightly, Adrien." Tikki said and she flew into Adrien's jacket, to help Adrien focus. Adrien took a deep breath and slowly cracked open the door. He saw a few masks on the floor and the wall, but otherwise nothing unusual. He could hear some chatter down the hall, coming from the kitchen. Adrien was about to step into the hall when the kitchen door burst open. Adrien backed up, and kept the door cracked so he could hear and see some faces that came out, but he wasn't sure who they were because he only saw them for half a second.

"My daughter is so obsessed with that blog on Ladybug, and that stupid Cat Noir keep getting in the way of my daughters glory." A woman said.

"You kidding? My daughter wants to be a famous fashion designer, but with that Adrien Agreste kid gets all of the attention. He models a hat that she made and Everyone remembers his name instead of my daughter." A tall male said.

"You think that's bad. My daughter told Cat Noir to assist her in a project and he abandoned her. Not only that, but my daughter arranged for a fashion show with her and Adrien later today, and he told her to 'grow up'." That last voice sounded like Mayor Bourgeois. They all got on the elevator and Adrien sighed, and then he dashed to the kitchen. Seeing no one he went over and locked all of the doors. Once he felt safe, he set Tikki on the counter and took a deep breath.

"You don't eat Camembert, right? You have a sweet tooth?" Adrien asked and Tikki nodded.

"Yes, that's true, but you need to get back out and fight, so anything will do." Tikki said and Adrien blinked.

"You sure are better then Plagg is. He basically refuses to eat anything but Camembert." Adrien said and he walked over to the fridge. He quickly found a plate of macaroons. He pulled it out and handed the plate to Tikki.

"I haven't really seen people put these in the fridge, but here you go Tikki." Adrien said, not really wanting to question it. Tikki took a bite of food.

"Some people do that to make it last longer, others do that to cool the food down before serving." Tikki explained and Adrien hopped up in the silver table and sat down.

"I just don't get it." Adrien muttered.

"A fridge is a neutral way of lowering temperatures in food." Tikki said and Adrien shook his head at her.

"No, no, not that. Masquerade said that she couldn't remember her friends and family. But she remembers me, because she is mad at me? I just don't get it. How can she remember one and not the other?" Adrien asked and Tikki paused.

"I think I have the answer, but I am unsure of how you will take it." Tikki said and Adrien looked at her.

"As strange as all of this is for me, Tikki, Ladybug and I could use this experience to better understand Hawk Moth and how he picks his victims... so... Even if... I don't like the answer... I think that I still need to know the truth. So please, Tikki, tell me what happened to my Ladybug." Adrien said and Tikki was silently chewing for a moment as she thought about what she was going to say.

"You hurt Ladybug, and she was upset, and her negative emotions caused her to be Akumatized." Tikki said slowly and Adrien paused.

"I hurt... I... I'm the reason Ladybug changed?" Adrien asked and Tikki looked away before she nodded.

"Yes, Adrien. And because her emotions towards you are the reason she changed, that's the emotion that Hawk Moth is fueling back to Ladybug. And because of that, she is losing the rest of her memories." Tikki said and Adrien threw his head back until it hit the metal table with a loud bang.

"AGH! I am such an idiot!" Adrien shouted and Tikki hoped no one heard that, even if the doors were locked.

"You're not an idiot, Adrien." Tikki said.

"Yes, I am Tikki." Adrien groaned and he placed a hand on his forehead.

"Plagg was right. I let my feelings for Ladybug get in the way of everything else. I was really, really mean to the people I really care about." Adrien said and Tikki sighed.

"I'm sure that your friends will forgive you. But that is a problem you can deal with later." Tikki said and Adrien sat up.

"I know, now I have to focus on Masquerade, and she has turned the whole city into her mask-wearing followers." Adrien said and Tikki grabbed another macaroon.

"What do you think we should do?" Tikki asked.

"I mean, I guess I could get the masks wet. I noticed upstairs that the masks dissolve in water." Adrien said and Tikki nodded.

"Makes sense. Most masks are made out of paper or cardboard, so water would be a natural enemy." Tikki said.

"Well, I suppose I could get a fire hose and free the Parisians with a fire truck." Adrien said.

"But what if Masquerade throws a mask at the hose or the truck? She made a metal fence come alive and attack you." Tikki pointed out and Adrien blinked.

"Well, what if I go around and I break the fire hydrants?" Adrien asked and Tikki shook her head.

"I don't think so, Adrien. That would take quite a long time, and Masquerade could always send out a second wave of masks." Tikki pointed out and Adrien grunted.

" then I guess I'll do as Ladybug does and take out the source." Adrien said and he stood up.

"Do you know what you're going to do?" Tikki asked.

"Whose in there!" Someone yelled as they punched the door.

"I'll need to lure her to water somehow. If the duplicate masks are made out of paper, then hers should be too." Adrien said and Tikki took a final bite of macaroon and flew into the air.

"I'm charged, but how will you lure her without a partner?" Tikki said and Adrien sighed.

"Perhaps I could free one person. Someone who is completely mellow, without a grudge on Adrien or Cat Noir. And someone who could get the attention of all of Paris." Adrien said and he unlocked the second door, but saw people rushing towards his so he closed the door again and quickly relocked it.

"Do you know anyone like that?" Tikki asked and Adrien looked around for another exit

"Nino would get nervous, Alya would probably have a secret grudge I don't know about and... hm... there might be one person. He is a new friend of mine, so I don't really know much about him." Adrien said as more people banged on the door.

"Someone get the key Adrien is in there!" Someone shouted and Adrien dove into the dumbwaiter.

"Seems like it's my only shot to get Masquerade's Akuma and save Ladybug." Adrien said and Tikki shut the dumbwaiter seat before the doors threw open.

"Sounds like something Ladybug would do. I support you." Tikki said and Adrien hoped that he was right.


	9. Chapter9

Disclaimer: I do not own Miraculous Ladybug or it's characters, or the music in this chapter.

Chapter 9,

Lady Noir borrowed two squirt guns from the pool house and two bottles of water from a cleaning cart he passed. He knew that he needed these things since the masks would surely cover every roof in Paris. But he needed the help of the one person he could think of that just might be immune to the power of Masquerade's masks.

"Come on, where is it?" Lady Noir muttered amongst himself. He stood and looked out at the water.

"Wasn't it right around here?" He thought out loud, but then he heard a loud laugh. Lady Noir looked down and saw Juleka and her mother chasing Roger the cop.

"Come on and face me, Roger." Captain Anarka screamed.

"Well, if she's there, then her boat has got to be close." Lady Noir said and he looked around slowly and carefully. He didn't want to move a muscle, for if he did, he might bump a mask and be a goner.

"Sails!" Lady Noir exclaimed and he jumped towards the boat and squirted the water guns to soak the area he was gonna land on to dissolve the masks. When he got close he examined the boat to see if his target was there.

"No movement on the deck..." Lady Noir said and then he noticed a flask of blue in one of the portholes.

"There he is." Lady Noir said and he cautiously made his way there. Thankfully the side of the boat was nearly mask free, so he could dangle there without worry. Lady Noir peered inside and saw Luka sitting on the bed, playing his guitar as if nothing was wrong. For a moment, Lady Noir wondered if Luka even had a mask on. Lady Noir went ahead and knocked on the glass of the porthole.

"Hello?" Luka said and he stood up and stared out of his bedroom door. Lady Noir smiled a little, then knocked again. This time Luka turned to the porthole and Lady Noir was disappointed that Luka indeed had a mask.

"Hello Cat Noir, or should I call you Ladybug?" Luka asked with the worlds softest chuckle.

"I'm glad that you aren't unhappy to see me." Lady Noir said and Luka smiled.

"Of course I feel some emotional discomfort around you because of the mask. But honestly I can logically understand that you are simply trying to save the day; like the day my mother got akumatized." Luka said and Lady Noir blinked.

"Do you think you can help me stop Masquerade?" Lady Noir asked, not wanting to waste anymore time.

"Are you sure that I am the one who can help you?" Luka asked and Lady Noir smiled.

"I trust you, so I am sure." Lady Noir said.

"Well, alright. I'm sure that my mother and sister would be happier as once they are themselves again." Luka said and Lady Noir sighed in relief.

"Ok, then. Go ahead and grab your guitar and meet me on the deck." Lady Noir said and he pulled a squirt gun out and went up the ship. Lady Noir started squirting a large circle and stepped on that. Luka didn't take long to meet Lady Noir and blinked at the circle.

"If the masks were that easy to destroy, then why didn't you just dissolve mine?" Luka asked.

"Because it's like you're immune. You can safely walk on the masks whereas I can not." Lady Noir said and Luka blinked.

"Ok, I get it." Luka said.

"Come on, take my hand. We got some work to do." Lady Noir said and the two swung off the boat.

Masquerade was storming all of Paris to find Adrien and Lady Noir. Hawk Moth allowed her to do this. He found it very interesting that Cat Noir was using Ladybug's miraculous. There wasn't a very good reason that for Cat Noir to have them. At least not a reason that Car Noir bothered to explain. It doesn't really matter, though. The sooner Masquerade captured Lady Noir, the sooner he would win.

"Does someone hear music?" Masquerade asked as she suddenly heard the iconic opening to Thunderstruck. The sound progressively got louder. Masquerade looked around at the people who surrounded her. So many of them she recognized for reasons she could not remember. The sound grew louder, and she stretched her fingers and walked towards the increasing sound. Her masked minions started to follow her.

After a short walk, they arrived to the iconic Fontaires de la Concorde, where someone has put together a stage out of knocked over billboards and benches. Standing on this mock-stage was a boy with blue hair. Seeing this boy play on his guitar made Masquerade feel strange for reasons she couldn't remember. All she really understood was that she cared about this blue haired boy. Even though he was a stranger to her.

Lady Noir's heart was beating out of his chest. If this didn't work, then he didn't know what to do. He watched Masquerade as she eyed Luka playing. The plan was simple in itself. When Masquerade got close to the fountain, Lady Noir would trip of push Masquerade into the water and it would destroy the mask. After all, some of the simplest plans worked the best.

The music Masquerade heard made her blood rush, which only fueled her anger. She painted and looked around the crowd, looking for Adrien, but she didn't see the blond heartbreaker anywhere.

"Thunder!" Luka sang, the crowd sang the background vocals. Lady Noir smiled. Music has such an influencial power over emotions, that Lady Noir knew the parisians would be all over Luka's music. After all, Masquerade's power was to help people express their emotion, which made them the perfect audience.

"Ugh!" Masquerade groaned, and she threw a mask at one of the benches that held the stage up. The bench appeared under her feet and Luka's eyes widened at the stage sloping. Lady Noir shot the yo-yo at Luka, pulled Luka up to the roof where Lady Noir was hiding.

"Lady Noir, prepare to give me Adrien and your miraculous!" Masquerade shouted and all of her masked ones rushed towards the building, climbing up it as much as they could.

"Quick, start playing again." Lady Noir said, spinning the yo-yo to shield Luka.

"Why would that be helpful?" Luka asked, expressing some of his anger at their situation.

"The masks make people more emotional, if we are lucky then the mob will be so emotionally focused on your music that I can deal with Masquerade directly." Lady Noir said, pushing some people away from the roof with the yo-you

"What should I play?" Luka asked and Lady Noir bit his lip.

"Something to cancel out the anger. A happy feel good song might work. A slow sad song might make them physically slow down. Though your teacher did teach you that stories have happy endings because true love conquers all." Lady Noir said and Luka took a deep breath.

"Feel good, slow, love song." Luka muttered and he bit his lip as one song came to mind. Luka started strumming his guitar and humming, and instantly the crowd paused. Most of them recognized the iconic intro to this well known song. Lady Noir quickly noticed this, but the biggest obstacle was if Masquerade still had them under her control.

"Get Lady Noir!" Masquerade yelled. She felt herself calming down, but Hawk Moth kept her angry.

"I may not always love you, but long as there are stars above you. You never need to doubt it. I'll make you so sure about it." Luka sang with his heart and Lady Noir watched the crowd surrender and he knew that Luka was safe, so he left the roof so he could face Masquerade.

"God only knows what I'd be without you." Luka and the crowd sand and Hawk Moth growled.

"Masquerade send a mask up to this guitarist, he has swept away your crowd." Hawk Moth said, grinding his teeth. Lady Noir spun the yo-yo and started charging at Masquerade.

"But it's... nice." Masquerade whispered, which Lady Noir heard and then he slowed to a stop when Masquerade's body started to shake. Masquerade was in terrible pain, it felt like lightning was traveling through her blood, electrifying every atom of her body and it completely blacked out her thoughts and her sight.

Lady Noir stood in shock. He wondered if this is what happens when Hawk Moth voluntarily takes the powers away from someone. After all, it's never been done, so he, didn't know what it would look like. Masquerade's eyes clouded over and she trembled so much that she fell to her knees. Lady Noir took a step towards her, but forced himself to stay at a distance in case this were a trap.

Tears fell on Masquerade's cheeks as she tried to scream, but no sound was heard, then she collapsed. Lady Noir's heart ached, like the day Ladybug jumped inside the T-Rex's mouth. His hands trembled, he stayed where he was, but knelt down and rolled the yo-yo over to Masquerade. When it hit her, she lunged at the toy so violently that Lady Noir fell back; and he gasped at the masked villain. Masquerade's eyes had turned blackish-purple. It was the same color as akuma's actually.

"You won't get away this time Lady Noir." Masquerade said, but her voice sounded different. Like two voices speaking at once; Masquerade's and...

"Hawk Moth?" Lady Noir's eyes widened when he came to this realization. Masquerade smiled softly.

"I've come for your miraculous, Lady Noir Masquerade said and Lady Noir growled. At this point Ladybug was gone, trapped with Hawk Moth, and he did not like it.

"Bring it on Mothie." Lady Noir said. Masquerade shot several masks at the stones beneath their feet. The stones lifted from the ground and catapulted towards Lady Noir. The first two broke against the yo-yo shield, the third one hit his hand, which bruised him more than anything else. The fourth one hit his shoulder and threw him a good 5 feet in the air and he crashed down. Or at least he would have, if Masquerade allowed him to fall peacefully. Instead there were stones floating in the air, which Lady Noir hit on his way down. So by the time Lady Noir did hit the floor, he had a busted lip, a black eye, and a cracked rib.

Lady Noir hissed in pain, but he stood up anyways. Ladybug needed him now, more than ever. He looked up and saw Masquerade in the air walking towards him, using the loose blocks to carry her as she did so. It was a little scary for Lady Noir, there is no doubt. If Hawk Moth could hurt him so badly after controlling Masquerade for 30 seconds, then just think of all the damage he could do when he understands what he's doing.

"Lucky Charm!" Lady Noir shouted, the magic travelled up into the air. It took shape, but a stone punch it out of the way before Lady Noir could see what it was. Lady Noir held his side to help ease the pain, and then he dodged five of the blocks before he hooked on to one of them and sailed away from Masquerade's like of sight. Lady Noir let go before he hit the wall. But he needed to find that Lucky Charm.

"Run away, kitty, kitty; but I'll still find you." Masquerade's voice echoed eerily and Lady Noir shuddered.

"The other stones came this way, that Lucky Charm has got to be here somewhere." Lady Noir whispered to himself and he glanced back carefully at where he called the charm.

"I was standing about there, the charm would have been about there when it got hit, and the speed would have launched it..." Lady Noir paused as he imagined where the charm went.

"Down... that alley." Lady Noir said with a sigh. He quickly ran over to it without getting seen, and he searched the alley. Following the trajectory he soon found it. The Lucky Charm was a roll of bubblegum tape. But the outer container broke when it hit the trash bin, and the gum itself was sitting in a puddle of water. Lady Noir grimaced as he picked it up with two fingers.

"Oh, man... I don't know if I can still use this Lucky Charm." Lady Noir groaned.

"Surrender, Lady Noir!" Masquerade's voice boomed and it shocked Lady Noir. Thinking it was the yo-yo, Lady Noir unraveled the bubblegum tape and threw it at Masquerade. The gum wrapped all around her, right as a mummy.

"Huh?" Both Masquerade and Lady Noir said. Lady Noir spun the yo-yo at Masquerade's feet and she growled. The rock she was standing on moved up and out of the alley, dragging Lady Noir as she did. She tried to shake Lady Noir off as she stretched her arms to break her sticky prison. Masquerade was really angry now, and she needed the cat to let go of her so she could concentrate on her freedom. Lady Noir tried tugging on the rock to make Masquerade lose her balance. When that failed, he decided to just climb up the yo-yo to Masquerade and take her mask.

Lady Noir got to Masquerade's feet before she realized what was happening. She stomped on his hands and the yo-yo so that both fell. Lady Noir rolled right next to the fountain, and he looked up at Masquerade. He was hidden for the moment, but stayed alert in case he needed to run quickly. Masquerade twisted and turned, and she managed to rip two handfuls of gum off of her, but she still couldn't touch her own mask.

Lady Noir gasped as an idea came to mind and waited patiently. Masquerade took a deep breath and focused. Her mask multiplied once, and this mask floated down on the bubblegum tape and it disappeared off her and onto the street. Masquerade looked down and she didn't see Lady Noir, so she lowered herself to the ground to. She figured that Lady Noir would charge at her the second she was in range, and then he would be vulnerable and she could steal his miraculous. To be fair, Lady Noir would have done this if he didn't have a plan.

He cautiously moved around the fountain to stay out of Masquerade line of sight. He still needed that bubblegum. Lady Noir's plan really fell into place when Masquerade turned to Luka and the crowd to see if Lady Noir was hiding in the hypnotized crowd. He needed to be fast, he spread the gum out in front of the fountain, then he walked to the other side and dropped down. He pulled his leg close to his body and made sure that his hair was exposed.

"Ow, my ankle. I think it's broken." Lady Noir said and Masquerade whipped around and ran towards the noise. She saw the top of Lady Noir's head and she laughed.

"No where to run now, kitty." She said and she put her fingers on her mask and-

"What?" Masquerade said, when she realized that her hand to pull her right hand off of her mask, but now this hand was stuck too.

"I guess you didn't get rid of all the gun when you escaped." Lady Noir said and Masquerade tried to run at him, but she couldn't move. She looked down and realized that she was stuck; standing in bubblegum. Masquerade jerked her arms, her legs, feet, until finally she lost her balance and fell into the fountain. Her mask dissolved and the Akuma was released.

"No more evil doing for you little Akuma. Time to de-evilize!" Lady Noir said, swinging the yo-yo around and catching the creature.

"Bye Bye, Butterfly." He said, he quickly picked up the gum and threw that in the air.

"Miraculous Ladybug." Lady Noir said and was glad when the magical ladybugs healed all of his battle wounds. But now he needed to leave. Not only because he was about to change back, but if he left now, then he wouldn't know Ladybug's secret identity.

"Ah (deep breath, cough) aah!" Lady Noir heard, and he paused. Masquerade was still in the fountain, struggling to breathe.

"I gotcha." He practically done into the fountain, and picked up his Ladybug, bridal style. She was panting against his chest, so he didn't see her face right away.

"Are you alright?" He asked the girl nodded and lifted her head and Lady Noir gasped.

"Marinette?" He whispered, not being able to believe his eyes. Marinette was Ladybug all this time?

"Thank you for saving me." Marinette said weakly, and Lady Noir gently placed her down and she swayed for a moment, but then she was fine.

"I-I..." Lady Noir couldn't stop thinking about the past. Remembering the times when he tried to win over his bugaboo, and she always said that she loved his friendship, but loved another. But Lady Noir heard his earring beeping and he had to leave.

"I need to go. But would it be alright if I checked on you later." Lady Noir asked and Marinette blinked at him.

"Uh, that would be fine." Marinette consented and Lady Noir swung the yo-yo.

"Ok, see you tonight." Lady Noir said, swinging out of sight.


	10. Chapter10

Disclaimer: I do not own Miraculous Ladybug or it's characters.

Chapter 10,

"How's he doing?" Plagg asked Tikki who sighed.

"Still adjusting." Tikki said. The two kwami's stayed in the kitchen while Adrien and Master Fu sat in the sitting room. Adrien's hands covered his face and he didn't say much; other than the occasional 'I'm stupid' or a pained groan.

"Adrien, drink some tea. Tea helps stabilize the body and the mind." Master Fu said and Adrien lowered his hands slightly so his eyes were exposed, and looked at the tea. Then he remembered how Marinette looked up at him, and Adrien groaned and fell into his back. Master Fu sighed.

"Sitting, or laying down, the answer to your concerns will not come without conversation and cooperation." Master Fu said and Adrien placed his hand down beside him.

"My mind is running a mile a minute. I don't even know where to start." Adrien said and Master Fu nodded.

"Start with the obvious truth. Say, out loud, 'Marinette is Ladybug, Ladybug is Marinette'. Then take a breath and say it again." Master Fu said and Adrien looked at him.

"Marinette is Ladybug, Ladybug is Marinette... Marinette is Ladybug, Ladybug is Marinette." Adrien said softly and it did calm him down, even if it didn't make him feel better.

"Alright, now I want you to repeat this whenever you feel overwhelmed. Even if it is just mentally." Master Fu said.

"Do you really think a mantra is the best answer?" Adrien asked and Master Fu nodded.

"At least for now. You see Marinette and Ladybug a lot. You need to remain calm so that Hawk Moth does not learn Ladybug's secret identity." Master Fu said and Adrien went ahead and sat up.

"I understand." Adrien said, sipping the tea.

"Now, let us focus on this issue; one detail at a time." Master Fu said and Adrien's heart ached.

"I hurt Marinette, and that's why she turned into Masquerade." Adrien said and Master Fu blinked.

"That explains her desire to find you. Why did you hurt Marinette?" Master Fu asked and Adrien wipes his eyes. He didn't even realize that he was crying.

"It all seems so stupid now. Plagg and I got in a fight and Chloe pushed me around, and Marinette touched my shoulder and I turned around, and..." Adrien sighed.

"What did you and Plagg fight about?" Master Fu asked, glancing at the kitchen door.

"He doesn't like how obsessed I get over Ladybug, and he said he knew who Ladybug was, and refused to help me win over Ladybug, and he said Ladybug will never love. So we argued." Adrien paused when he heard a noise from the kitchen.

"Ow! Tikki!" He heard Plagg say, and then Adrien continued.

"Then there was Chloe, then there was Marinette. And after practice I saw Masquerade and all this happened." Adrien said and Master Fu sighed.

"Someone once told me that it takes 100 compliments to balance out one insult." Master Fu said and Adrien bit his lip.

"It will take me over a thousand just to make Marinette forgive me. But what if she never forgives me? And if she never forgives Adrien, and she learns my identity as Cat Noir, then what if she stops trusting Cat Noir. Then we'll stop being an unstoppable team." Adriensaid and Master Fu put a hand on Adrien's shoulder.

"Listen, I understand your concern.

"But I have a sneaky feeling that you will eventually earn back Marinette's trust." Master Fu said and Adrien blinked.

"Why do you say that?" Adrien asked and Master Fu smiled.

"Because I **know** that Ladybug and Cat Noir are an unstoppable team. And even though you never realized it, that means Adrien and Marinette are **also** an unstoppable team." Master Fu said and Adrien paused. He and Marinette rarely worked together, and if they were alone together, she often got extra silly or klutzy, and at times panicked. It was hard to imagine them working together, even if he enjoyed her company.

"I don't know. I never thought about it like that before." Adrien admitted.

"You're still worried about Marinette forgiving you or not." Master Fu stated and Adrien nodded.

"I am. Saying 'I'm sorry' just doesn't seem like it's enough. What else can I do to prove to her that her friendship means the world to me?" Adrien asked and Master Fu pulled back his hand and thought for a moment.

"So many people want a quick fix to solve their problems. But a grand gesture is meaningless when trust is gone." Master Fu said and Adrien blinked in confusion. Was this a riddle or a trick question. Because it didn't sound like a solution.

"So what do you think I should do?" Adrien asked and Master Fu say in front of his tea and took a sip.

"You need to say you're sorry. Be sincere, be vulnerable, be private. You don't need to airlift a store of roses to her door. That might woo her or it can make her angry, but it won't gain her forgiveness." Master Fu said and Adrien blinked.

"What if she forgives me, but she still doesn't trust me?" Adrien asked.

"Trust must be earned. Be patient and be her friend and you'll start to gain it back." Master Fu said and Adrien looked down at his tea.

"What else is bothering you?" Master Fu asked and Adrien shook his head.

"I still feel really guilty for making Marinette an easy target for Hawk Moth. I mean that last fight Hawk Moth took over and her eyes turned black." Adrien said, sipping his tea.

"Ladybug has a instinct deep in her soul to help others and keep them from harm. It was so deeply programmed that Hawk Moth couldn't make Marinette forget it. When he finally had enough, he completely took over her." Master Fu said and Adrien shook his head.

"I didn't even know he had the power to do that." Adrien said.

"He hasn't been forced to do so." Master Fusaid simply.

"I know, but still." Adrien said.

"Finish your tea, Cat Noir. Or should I call you Lady Noir." Master Fusaid with a smirk and Adrien rolled his eyes.

"It was the first name I could come up with." Adrien said with a smile. Seeing the smile, the two Kwami's exited the kitchen and went over to the humans.

"Adrien, I just want to say that I'm proud of you for taking on this important battle. Ladybug was wise to place her trust in you." Tikki said and Adrien blushed.

"You really are good at pep talks, cutie bug." Adrien said and Tikki giggled.

"Yeah, thanks Tik. I wouldn't want him moping the rest of the day." Plagg said and Tikki crosses her arms.

"I've asked you for thousands of years to not call me Tik. I don't like it." Tikki said and Plagg shrugged.

"Say Tikki, do you know how I can make things right with Marinette? You know her best after all." Adrien asked and Tikki paused for a moment.

"Well, after you apologize, I think it would be best if you simply made an effort to spend time with her. She'll probably say no a few times, but you keep trying, and she'll know how sorry you are. Just remember, Rome wasn't built in a day." Tikki said and this made Adrien smile.

"Big deal, it was destroyed in one day." Plagg said and Adrien blinked and hung his head.

"And who burned down Rome?" Tikki asked and Plagg hesitated.

"Well, some historians believed Nero did." Plagg said, with an awkward chuckle and Adrien watched Tikki and Master Fu glare at the black Kwami.

"But we know that you caused the fire." Tikki said.

"Yet another reason your powers are too dangerous without an owner." Master Fu said and Adrien blinked.

"I didn't know you could use your cataclysm." Adrien said and Plagg shrugged.

"Back to the point at hand, Adrien." Tikki said, returning the conversation back to the main topic.

"You both have been friends for a long time, and I know that you both care a lot about each other. So much so, that I'm sure your friendship will still survive past this. At least, as long as you keep showing up for Mar-" bubbles filled Tikki's mouth.

"Excuse me. Keep showing up for Ladybug." Tikki said with a smile.

"I hope it's that simple Tikki." Adrien said, not knowing something else that was better.

"Besides, I think you're forgetting something important." Tikki said and Adrien looked at the happy Kwami.

"What's that?" Adrien asked.

"You're lucky enough to have Ladybug's two closest allies to talk you up." Tikki said, and Adrien blinked.

"I do? Who?" Adrien asked.

"Well, there's me, and there's Cat Noir." Tikki said and Adrien paused.

"Cat...? I... can I do that?" Cat Noir thought out loud and Tikki nodded.

"You did tell her that you wanted to go check up on her later. Perhaps after Adrien apologizes, Cat Noir can show up and take her for a night out on the town." Tikki said and Adrien smiled.

"That's kinda... brilliant, Tikki." Adrien said and Plagg's stomach rumbled.

"Let's go home and eat already. If we don't leave now, then we may not get another chance. I mean with Chloe's fashion thing, and you apologizing to Marinette, and then taking her out on a date; you still got a busy night ahead of you." Plagg said and Adrien's eyes widened and he blushed deeply.

"D-date? Would that really be a date?" Adrien asked, suddenly panicking.

"Plagg, stop making things worse. Adrien it won't be a date, not this time. You'll just be her friend and make her feel better." Tikki said and Adrien took a deep breath.

"After all this drama, I don't think either of us have the heart for a date." Adrien said and then he looked down at his ring.

"It's good to have this back." Adrien said and Tikki giggles.

"The ring better suits you anyways." Tikki said.

"But, for once, Plagg is right. I do need to get going." Adrien stood up, and Master Fu handed him a bag.

"Make sure to use these. They will help reduce redness, prevent infection, and in time your eyes should heal properly. If we're lucky the holes will plug up, as if you've never had pierced ears." Master Fu said and Adrien nodded.

"Thank you." Adrien said and then he turned to Tikki.

"I hope we get the chance to speak again." Adrien said.

"I'm sure we will, and I look forward to it." Tikki said, and then Adrien carefully shook her hand then left with Plagg. Adrien was starting to see a light at the end of the tunnel, but he wasn't the only one.

Gabriel Agreste stood in his office, staring at the picture of his beloved wife. Nathalie entered the room with her clipboard.

"You requested me?" Nathalie said and Gabriel turned to her.

"Tell me, Nathalie. Can you think of any reason why miss Ladybug did not fight today?" Gabriel asked and Nathalie blinked.

"Perhaps she's sick. Cat Noir said that she wasn't feeling like herself." Nathalie said and Gabriel nodded.

"That is exactly what Cat Noir said. He didn't say that she had the sniffles, or she was under the weather, or she had a fever. He said that she didn't feel like herself." Gabriel said and Nathalie paused.

"What are you suggesting, sir?" She asked and Gabriel pulled up two photos. A picture of Ladybug from the Ladyblog, and Adrien's class picture. Gabriel zoomed the class photo in on Marinette.

"I wonder if this Marinette girl I akumatized is Ladybug, and that's why Cat Noir had to wear the Ladybug Miraculous." Gabriel said and Nathalie blinked.

"If you're correct sir, then wouldn't she have the earrings on when she got akumatized?" Nathalie suggested.

"Perhaps. Still I would like to keep a close eye on this girl to see if I am correct." Gabriel said.

"Well, she is a friend of Adrien's." Nathalie said and Gabriel waved her off and walked over to the window.

"No, no, not good enough. It's well established that I don't approve of Adrien having friends over. I occasionally allow Lila, but it would be suspicious if I suddenly allowed this Marinette girl to come over." Gabriel said and Nathalie rapped her pen against her bottom lip.

"Perhaps she could be your intern. She did design a hat for one of your shows." Nathalie suggested.

"Good, but it's not quite right. If she isn't Ladybug, then I'm stuck with teaching her instead of finding the real Ladybug." Gabriel said and they both stood in silence as they thought.

"What about another contest? One that helps promote fashion. It's in your wheelhouse, and you have an excuse for having the girl over without being fully committed to the cause." Nathalie said and Gabriel turned to her again.

"I like it. I like it a lot. But Paris is the fashion capital of the world. Why would I need to promote fashion when I'm already a success?" Gabriel asked and Nathalie bit her lip.

"Perhaps if it were promotions for the Americans. They don't have the same sense of style as we do." Nathalie and Gabriel smiled.

"Perfect. Then we simply need to ensure that we pick Marinette's idea. If it's brilliant then we'll promote in America. If it's terrible, we pretend to promote in America. Oh, Nathalie you're so wonderfully brilliant." Gabriel said and he went over and hugged her.

She was frozen for a moment. The blush heating up her face. Then Nathalie hugged Gabriel back, softly inhaling his scent.


	11. Chapter11

Disclaimer: I do not own Miraculous Ladybug or it's characters.

Chapter 11,

Adrien wanted to sprint to Marinette's place to apologize, but he needed to be at Chloe's fashion thing. After all, he was ordered to go. When Adrien and his bodyguard walked into the hotel, the first thing the young hero noticed was how many of his classmates were there. Adrien was confused by this and thought maybe he had gone to the wrong location.

"Adri-kins!" Chloe rushed over and hugged him. The odd thing is that this hug was uncharacteristally gentle and sweet.

"Are you ok?" Adrien asked, wondering if maybe she was sick or sad.

"Oh, I'm fine, thank you." Chloe pulled away and gestures to the class.

"What do you think?" Chloe asked and Adrien hesitated a moment.

"You asked them to be here?" Adrien asked, and Chloe nodded.

"I realized that you were right earlier." Chloe said and Adrien couldn't hide his surprise.

"I don't know about that. I was kind of a jerk to you, and I'm sorry about that." Adrien said and Chloe lowered her gaze.

"I guess we were both jerks. It wasn't fair of me to ask you to do this show as the only male model. I was being childish, and I decided to ask our class to do the show with us." Chloe said and Adrien slowly smiled.

"Wow. That's really cool of you Chloe." Adrien said and Chloe giggled.

"Of course I called dibs on all the best outfits. The recycled products can be worn by Rose, Marinette, Juleka, or one of the others." Chloe said and Adrien blinked. Was Marinette really here?

"Now, daddy reserved rooms on the second floor for everyone to change in. That way, we can have some sort of privacy. Let me just go get your room key, and then you could change." Chloe said, and Adrien was surprised that Chloe did this herself instead of making Sabrina do it for her.

"Hello again, Adrien." Adrien turned and he saw Luka walking over to him.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" Adrien asked.

"I'm here with Juleka. She can be pretty shy, and I thought she could use the moral support." Luka said. The two sat down and Luka pulled out his guitar and started strumming it softly.

"You know, you saved Paris with your music." Adrien said and Luka smiled.

"My music was a forgettable detail. The real hero today was Cat Noir." Luka said.

"Well, I'm sure that he couldn't have saved the day without you." Adrien said and Luka shrugged.

"Perhaps." Luka said, and Adrien rubbed the back of his neck.

"Something troubling you?" Luka saw the concern in Adrien's heart, and needed to ask.

"It's just... I kinda hurt a friend earlier, and I need to apologize to her, but I'm still nervous about it." Adrien admitted.

"Trust in yourself Adrien. I'm sure you'll know what to say when the moment is right." Luka said and Adrien smiled at him.

"I hope you're right. Thanks Luka." Adrien said.

"Alright Adrien, I found the key for your room and- uh... who are you?" Chloe said when she first noticed Luka, handing the key to Adrien.

"Oh, you haven't met Luka, Chloe? This is Juleka's brother Luka. Luka this is my oldest friend, Chloe." Adrien introduced and Luka smiled at Chloe, who smiled which confused Adrien.

"Uh, well, it's a pleasure to meet you Luka. It's always fascinating to me when I meet someone who doesn't know me." Chloe said, walking over and holding her hand out to the mature boy.

"Of course I know you, Chloe. Juleka will often times tell us about her school adventures." Luka said, right before he took Chloe's hand and kissed the top of it sweetly.

"I, uh, I don't recall having a room for you, Luka. I can easily get you on that runway. Then your face will be in the best magazines money can buy." Chloe said, crossing her arms over her chest to give her a more dignified look.

"I don't need that." Luka said and Chloe blinked.

"That's ridiculous, utterly ridiculous. Everyone wants to be famous and remembered forever." Chloe said and Luka shrugged.

"If I were to become famous, I would hope that it would be for the things I put my heart into; instead of what I put my face on." Luka said and Chloe found herself dumbfounded. She just didn't know how to respond to this character. Fame and popularity was everything to a person... wasn't it?

"Alright. Maybe you can help model Jagged's line of hoodies. Some of them zip all the way up the face. Once it's closed, it has a picture of Jagged. Each version is from different album covers." Chloe said, holding the clipboard to her chest. Adrien's eyes moved from Chloe to Luka and back to Chloe. He had never seen Chloe like this. Was she sick? It was almost like she were acting like... like... who did Adrien know that acted that way? Hesitant, a bit shy, yet pretending like everything was super great.

"Alright, Chloe, that sounds fun. I suppose it wouldn't be to bad for my first modeling gig, huh, Adrien?" Luka said. Chloe blushed a little and stared at the clipboard in her hands. For a brief moment, she kinda forgot that Adrien was sitting right there. Adrien wasn't exactly sure what was happening with Chloe. It almost looked like she was falling in love with Luka. But Chloe wasn't the type of girl to fall in love at first sight... was she?

"Uh, yeah... does... sound fun." Adrien said, eyeing Chloe with slight concern.

"So fun. Fun, fun, fun, fun, fun. Adrien I was wondering how you met Luka." Chloe asked and Adrien smiled. Chloe was in love with Luka. Otherwise she wouldn't ask for personal details, especially during an event she cared so much about. It was cute to finally see her falling for someone. But did Luka feel the same?

"Well, during that music festival. I went over to Juleka's houseboat to listen to the band over friends created. Luka is in the band." Adrien said and Chloe scoffed.

"A houseboat? Are you kidding me?" Chloe said automatically and Adrien looked over at Luka, who looked hurt.

"Uh... because I always wanted to see one of those." Chloe said hesitantly and Luka smiled softly.

"You know it's almost humorous." Luka said which confused Adrien and Chloe.

"What is?" Chloe asked and Luka straightened his guitar.

"I hear two songs playing in you." Luka said, and he started strumming, which caused Chloe to sit next to Luka.

"The first one is a fast paced power cord." Luka said, and he played a quick portion of the song.

"The second one is a slow, heartwarming, Barre chord." Luka played this one and Chloe felt weird, but in a nice way.

"Both are well developed pieces of music. But they aren't really working together; they seem to be fighting for dominance. Together they make a highly intriguing Arpeggio, though it may not be the most harmonious way to live." Luka said and even though Adrien didn't really understand this music Luka was talking about, it looked as if Chloe knew exactly what Luka meant. Adrien wondered if this had anything to do with what Chloe had felt earlier. She couldn't hold back her tears when Masquerade showed her that picture.

"No, I uh... suppose it's not harmonious." Chloe admittedly softly.

"Don't feel ashamed Chloe. No matter what you feel, your emotions are what make you who you are." Luka said and Chloe looked down.

"Uh-huh." She muttered.

"Besides, if you didn't already know, your inner song is pretty hypnotizing." Luka said. Chloe blinked and looked back at Luka.

"Hypnotizing?" Chloe asked. Neither had noticed Adrien slowly backing out of the picture. If Chloereally was falling in love, then he certainly didn't want to ruin it by being too close.

"Yes. You seem like a pretty cool chick, Chloe. Would you like to play my guitar?" Luka asked and Chloe giggled to hide her nervous energy.

"Thanks, but I wouldn't even know where to begin. I don't know how to play the guitar, or any other musical instruments for that matter." Chloe said and Luka smiled.

"Well, if you were ever interested in learning how to play, I would be honored to be your teacher." Luka said. That's the last thing Adrien heard. Well, that's not true. He did hear the two of them laughing and that just warmed his heart. Adrien had his room key in hand and he knew that he needed to go up and put on his first outfit. But he wasn't sure when he had to go on, so he thought it would be best to find Sabrina first. After some asking around , he found Sabrina right next to the stage. The place was packed.

"Alright, Nino, start the music and the automatic introduction. Max get ready to read the cards as the models walk down the runway." Sabrina said into her headset. Though it was dark, Adrien recognized her voice and tapped her on the shoulder.

"Oh! Chloe, you'll be happy to know that things are running smoothly." Sabrina said.

"I'm Adrien, not Chloe." Adrien whispered and Sabrina chuckled nervously.

"Sorry, Adrien, it's dark. I'm expecting Chloe and I saw the blond hair." Sabrina explained.

"Oh, don't worry about it. I just got my room key and wanted to know if my clothes were in the room and when I was on." Adrien said. Being a less professional event, he wasn't sure how this show would be different.

"You're clothes are in the room already. You should really get your first outfit on. Chloe thought it would be fun to start off the Miraculous inspired outfits. And you get to wear the Ladybug inspired suit." Sabrina said and Adrien blinked.

"Miraculous inspired, huh?" Adrien asked.

"Yeah, and the suit is fantastic. Oh, the lights are out, come see the first formal dress." Sabrina encouraged, and Adrien couldn't say no.

"We've decided to take the beginning portion of this show and dedicate it to those brave souls that save Paris." Max said and out came a model. It was hard to see her face until the spotlight turned on. Adrien took a deep breath when he saw that this model was Marinette.

"This is a Cat Noir inspired floor-length formal." Max said as Marinette walked down the catwalk. Adrien could hardly focus on the words Max said. Marinette was wearing a black dress, with a sweetheart neckline and ruffles in the skirt. But it had some rough diagonal lines on the dress, which were lime green and signified a large cat scratch. She also had a yellow sash on her stomach, which symbolized the bell on the Cat Noir costume. Then Marinette reached behind her and pulled out some metal stick, which resembled his own. Marinette extended the stick, and walked with it as if it were a cane. Then she pushed a button and the top of the cane produced a metal mask and she held the metal creation up to her face for a moment before putting it away again. When Marinette was at the end of the catwalk, Adrien thought he heard Max say the word 'cataclysm', and Marinette held her gloves together and a colored smoke then appeared in her hands. Adrien thought she was just, drop dead gorgeous, but there was one detail that Adrien focused on more then anything else. Which was that Marinette didn't smile once. He knew lots of models would keep a professional or bored expression during a show, but that wasn't Marinette. It wasn't like his lady at all.

"Ok, ok, you better run along now, and get back here pronto." Sabrina said, gently pushing Adrien away from the curtain. And as much as Adrien wanted to object and insist that he stay so he could talk to Marinette, he knew this business all to well.

In no time Adrien was up in his room, changing into the Ladybug suit sadly. Plagg was watching Adrien, but he didn't know what to say. Tikki and Master Fu were always better at cheering someone up, where as Plagg felt like he just ruined everything. He always blamed it on the power of destruction he wields. The ability to destroy physical objects and, he figured, everything else that wasn't physical. Adrien is a sweet kid, but after one conversation with Plagg, he blew his temper. If Plagg wasn't so good at destroying things like hope, then maybe Adrien wouldn't be so sad now. But soon Plagg heard some talking, and he pressed up against the wall to hear better.

"What are you doing?" Adrien asked, when he noticed the Kwami move.

"Shh." Plagg hushed as he listened. After a moment, the Kwami disappeared through the wall.

"Plagg, come back, what if they see you?" Adrien said and the Kwami quickly returned with a large smile on his face.

"Marinette's in the next room, and Alyssa is about to leave. This is your chance to apologize." Plagg said and Adrien gasped. He walked out of the room, all decked out in his suit, and took a deep breath when he saw Alya walking out the door. He rushed over before the door closed and peeked inside. Marinette was sitting at a vanity, with her head down on the wood she was still wearing that beautiful dress, so she hasn't been in the room long. Adrien's hands were shaking, but it was now or never. He opened the door and knocked. Marinette lifted her head, and saw Adrien in the mirror. She turned around and they locked eyes. They stood in silence for about 5 seconds, but it felt like an eternity. After this quick eternity, Marinette looked down in sadness, and it broke Adrien's heart. He slowly walked over to her. What was he gonna say? What was he gonna do? How was she gonna react.

"You're as beautiful as I am stupid." Adrien said, and then he blushed at his own words. That was hardly an apology. But it did take Marinette by surprise and she stared at him with those same blue bell eyes he would stare at whenever he saw a picture of Ladybug. How has he never noticed Marinette had those one of a kind eyes?

"Oh, Marinette, I don't blame you not talking to me. I was a real heart to you earlier." Adrien said and he walked over to Marinette.

"I know it will never, ever be enough, but I want you to know that I'm really sorry for the way I acted." Adrien said, and though it wasn't good for the suit, he got down on his knees and Marinette blushed at this submissive act.

"Your friendship means the world to me, Marinette. It would break my heart if I were to lose you." Adrien said, and Marinette blushed deeper. She didn't know what to say, so she just said nothing.

"I know I don't deserve your forgiveness, or your friendship. And..." Adrien hesitated, he didn't want to say this next part. But he pulled something out of his pocket, and held it close to his heart.

"And that's how I know that I don't deserve this." Adrien said, and he held out the lucky charm Marinette gave him. The same lucky charm he carried everywhere, even into battle. He had grown quite attached to this strand of beads, but it did make him feel lucky.

"Oh, Adrien..." Marinette whispered. Adrien gently took her gloves hand and put the charm in it.

"No, Marinette. You're literally the greatest person I've ever known. And until I'm worthy of your friendship, you should hold on to this. Hopefully, one day, I will earn it back." Adrien said and Marinette stared at the charm.

"Well, I'm glad you allowed me to say my peace. I really should get down to the runway before Sabrina has a fit." Adrien said. He stood up and he sadly walked out the door.

"I think that was a good apology." Plagg said and Adrien looked down at the Kwami in his jacket.

"Then why do I still feel like a jerk?" Adrien asked and Plagg sighed.


	12. Chapter12

Disclaimer: I do not own Miraculous Ladybug or it's characters.

Chapter 12,

It was a chilly night, so after the fashion show, Marinette thought it would be best if she brought up a mug of hot chocolate to her balcony. Well, to be honest, she brought up two mugs of hot chocolate. One for her, and one for Cat Noir. It was a little unusual for them to check up on victims, after the fact. But he did want to see her, he said so. Though it was unusual, Cat Noir was still her friend. Granted Cat Noir did spend more time with Ladybug then he did with Marinette; but Marinette was more then happy to hang out with Cat Noir.

She wasn't sure what she should expect. Would Cat Noir make so many bad puns that she can't help but smile at his stupidity? Or would he attempt to be serious a moment and do everything in his power to avoid making jokes of any kind?

"Marinette?" Tikki asked, poking her head out of Marinette's purse.

"Tikki, stay hidden. Cat Noir could show up any second." Marinette said. Personally she wasn't that worried about Cat Noir seeing her, because Tikki was aware that he knew Marinette's truth. But she didn't say anything about this. Marinette wanted her secret identity to be just that- a secret. And even though Cat Noir knows that she is Ladybug, it was still Ladybug's choice to reveal that knowledge.

"I know, so I'll be brief." Tikki said and Marinette sighed.

"Alright, go ahead Tikki." Marinette said with a smile.

"Are you going to talk toCat Noir about Adrien?" Tikki asked and Marinette sighed.

"I'm not sure Tikki. Probably a little Cat Noir will probably ask me why I got so upset. You know, the reason I got akumatized. How can I tell him what happened without talking about Adrien?" Marinette said and Tikki nodded.

"That is true." Tikki commented.

"Was that it?" Marinette asked, raising an eyebrow at her friend.

"Well, Ladybug doesn't share a lot of personal information with Cat Noir. But if Marinette really is Cat Noir's friend, then maybe this is your opportunity to strengthen your bond with Cat Noir." Tikki said and Marinette blinked.

"What do you mean?" Marinette asked.

"I mean, Ladybug trusts Cat Noir more than any other person. Isn't it about time that Marinette trusted Cat Noir more than anyone else?" Tikki asked and Marinette thought for a moment.

"I guess I never thought about it like that before, Tikki. It would be nice to talk to Cat Noir, like a real person. Instead of the high pressure situations we normally find ourselves in." Marinette said and Tikki chuckled.

"Exactly, Marinette. Have fun and let your hair down." Tikki said.

"My hair is already down." Marinette said and they both laughed.

"You know what I mean, Marinette." Tikki said and Marinette kissed the top of Tikki's head.

"Thank you, Tikki. I'll keep that in mind." Marinette said. Tikki went back into Marinette's purse.

Marinette sat and waited for Cat Noir to appear. She gently dipped her hot chocolate, which she enjoyed. She took out a notebook and watched people down on the street. She put on some instrumental music, and looked out at the setting sun. She didn't do it often, since she loved fashion so much, but on occasion she did write poetry. At least that's what she called it since they were short sentences/paragraphs with no other rhyme or reason to be together.

Marinette write quietly as she listened to the hypnotic melodies of Tchaikovsky. She saw a man standing in front of his window, and wrote about a lost opportunity. She saw two children playing tag and wrote about the nostalgia of youth. She saw a mother walking with her son and wrote about a longing to understand a person we love so much. It was only then, that Marinette noticed that she was halfway done with her cocoa and started to think that Cat Noir wasn't gonna show up after all. Part of her was really looking forward to seeing Cat Noir. Sadly Marinette turned the page.

 _Cat in the shadows,_

 _Where do you hide?_

 _Are you just beyond my line of sight?_

 _Oh, come into the light,_

 _My cat of the night._

 _Am I scary in your eyes?_

 _And that's why you hide tonight?_

 _I'm a friend, dear kitty._

 _Come out of the city,_

 _And come back to me._

Marinette wrote. She reread it and blushed. This little poem made it seem like she had a crush on Cat Noir. Which was ridiculous, because she had a crush on Adrien.

"Or... do I still like him?" Marinette asked herself. After everything that went down, Marinette wasn't at all sure how she felt about Adrien. His apology was so... sincere. It made her heart melt. But did she still love him after he made her feel so terrible?

She looked down at her hands. She was actually wearing a pair of dark gray gloves that matched her jacket. She thought gloves were the best thing to hide what Adrien did to her hand. Marinette hesitated, took a deep breath and removed one of her gloves. Her hand had purple-green splotches all over and it was still incredibly sensitive to the tough. Part of her expected to feel the same overwhelming sadness as before, but instead she felt angry. Angry that he hurt her; angry at the tears she cried; and angry at how incredibly fragile she was. She ripped out a paper from her notebook, crushed it into a ball and threw it with all her might.

But after she did, she realized that she just threw out the poem she just wrote about missing Cat Noir. She groaned a little at this, but she wasn't too worried about someone finding it. She never actually wrote the word 'Noir' or 'superhero' so no one would ever know that it's about Cat Noir. She couldn't explain why she wanted it back, she just did. She put her glove back on and laid back to look up at the stars and the sun, which slowly disappeared.

Marinette was completely unaware that the cat she was thinking about, had just been hit in the head with a paper ball.

"Looks like that came from Marinette's house." Cat Noir said. He knew Marinette was smart, and Ladybug would occasionally tease him, so he thought maybe she hit him on purpose. Just as a fun way to tell him that she was up there. Cat Noir picked up the paper ball and unraveled it, to read the note.

"Cat in the shadows, where do you hide? Are you just beyond my line of sight? Oh, come into the light my cat of the night. Huh? My... cat?" Cat Noir realized this wasn't a note meant for him. It was a poem about him. Which kinda makes sense, when he thought about it. Marinette's father got akumatized because he didn't return Marinette's love. Maybe those feelings never went away? Was asking Marinette if he could check up on her a mistake? He didn't want to hurt Marinette again, by misleading her. Cat Noir was in love with Ladybug. But Marinette was Ladybug. So would it be misleading when they were the same person.

"This is all too complicated. Maybe I shouldn't see her after all." Cat Noir said, and he started to walk away. But he stopped when he noticed that he was still holding Marinette's poem. He decided to read the rest of it.

"Am I scary in your eyes? And that's why you hide tonight?" Cat Noir blushed. Hiding and running away were basically the same thing, and he was embarrassed by it.

"I'm a friend, dear kitty. Come out of the city, and come back to me." Cat Noir finished and he couldn't help but smile. He folded the poem up and put it in his pocket for safe keeping; he even zipped it shut. Marinette heard a _woosh_ sound, and looked beside her to see Cat Noir sitting on the ground.

"Cat Noir." Marinette said with a smile on her face, and Cat Noir smiled back.

"Hi, Marinette. I came as fast as I could have you been waiting long?" Cat Noir said and Marinette giggled.

"Not sure, I've been distracting myself. But you could ask the hot chocolate in front of you." Marinette said and Cat Noir blinked.

"Thanks." Cat Noir said, he took a sip. The drink was lukewarm.

"So you wanted to check up on me?" Marinette asked and Cat Noir nodded.

"I think you're a cool person Marinette. And I know the two of us don't hang out very often, but I like to think of you as a friend." Cat Noir said, then instantly wondered if 'friend' was the right word now.

"That's sweet of you Cat Noir." Marinette said, with a slight blush on her face.

"So how does this work?" Marinette asked and Cat Noir blinked.

"What?" Cat Noir asked and Marinette bit her lip gently.

"This check up thing. As far as I know, Ladybug and Cat Noir don't really check up on the de-akumatized people. So how does it work? Do you ask me a survey of questions and report back to each other." Marinette asked and Cat Noir smiled. He was impressed at Marinette talking about Ladybug so casually. Then again, she probably gets lots of practice considering that Alya is so proud of her Ladyblog.

"Well, it really isn't a common thing, I'll admit. But like I said earlier, I think of you as a friend. And I would really enjoy getting to know you more so that we can be even better friends." Cat Noir said. Marinette smiled and then she was full of doubt.

"I appreciate it, but do you think that's wise? If we become better friends, then there is a chance that Hawk Moth would use me to get to you." Marinette said and Cat Noir blinked.

"Anything is a chance nowadays. If kindhearted people like you and Ms. Bustier can fall victim to Akuma's then anyone can. Even miraculous holders are not immune to those things." Cat Noir said and Marinette knew this was true.

"Not to mention Alya. She's been kidnapped multiple times, yet she still runs after villians in order to get to know Ladybug." Cat Noir said and Marinette giggled.

"Yep, that's Alya alright. But what's your point?" Marinette asked.

"I was just thinking that, as a superhero, we need to protect people and make sure that they feel safe." Cat Noir said.

"I completely agree with that." Marinette said, and Cat Noir recognized the 'matter-of-fact' time of Ladybug.

"Well, how can we make the Parisians trust us enough to feel safe, when we never feel safe to be around Parisians when we aren't fighting crime." Cat Noir said.

"I'm not sure that's how other's see it." Marinette said gently.

"Well, think about this. Let's say Hawk Moth takes some time off to prepare for something big. So no one gets akumatized for a month. People would know that Hawk Moth was still out there. But would they still feel safe when they hadn't seen Ladybug or myself in that same month?" Cat Noir said, and Marinette understood what he was talking about.

"In that situation you do have a point." Marinette admitted and Cat Noir smiled.

"I'm just saying let's go hang out tonight. I'm not saying that we should hang out every day, but..." Cat Noir blushed and Marinette sat up.

"What did you want to go do?" Marinette asked.

"I passed André when I came over here. It could be fun to buy some ice cream and then take a walk through the park. The fireflies there can be a beautiful sight, if you've never seen it." Cat Noir suggested.

"That sounds really fun, Cat Noir. I didn't expect something quiet and private out of you, kitty." Marinette said.

"Cats are solitary creatures by nature. Besides, I thought you'd like some quiet." Cat Noir said, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Don't worry, it's perfect Cat Noir... hm, heh." Marinette let out a small chuckle and Cat Noir smiled.

"What's so funny?" Cat Noir asked and Marinette shrugged.

"Oh, I just remembered the last time we talked about André. You know, when he got Akumatized and turned into Glaciator." Marinette said and Cat Noir smiled.

"Man that was like a lifetime ago." Cat Noir said and Marinette nodded.

"Yeah, I know. But I remember it like it was yesterday." Marinette said.

"Really?" Cat Noir asked.

"Yeah. It was a memorable day. I mean, a boy broke my heart, you show up and tell me you were in love with Ladybug, and you showed me that beautiful rooftop to cheer me up, and... yeah." Marinette has more to say, but couldn't. It didn't really matter though, because Cat Noir was fixated on one detail, that almost caused a spit take. He did tell Marinette that he was in love with Ladybug. And that means that he unknowingly told Ladybug that he loved her. Even though Cat Noir wasn't very subtle about it, he was still working up the courage to actually say, 'I love you' to her. Cat Noir drank the remaining cocoa in one large gulp and cleared his throat.

"You know, I've been meaning to ask you about that. Who was this jerk that broke your heart to begin with. I could teach them a serious lesson." Cat Noir asked and Marinette giggled and stood up.

"Ice cream first m. Then I might tell you what happened that day." Marinette offered, holding her hand out to him. Cat Noir smiled and took her hand to help himself up.

"Fair counter-offer." Cat Noir said, he wrapped an arm around Marinette and she held onto him in response, making Cat Noir blush. But the hero took a deep breath and they were off in pursuit of ice cream.


	13. Chapter13

Disclaimer: I do not own Miraculous Ladybug or it's characters

Chapter 13,

At the beautiful Pont des Arts, Andre was singing out for all of Paris to hear.

"My name is Andre, Andre Glacier. The sweetheart matchmaker. With one scoop or two, I'll find love for you, with magical ice cream flavors. My name is Andre, Andre Glacier. The sweetheart matchmaker. With one scoop or two, I'll find love for you, with magical ice scream flavors." Andre sang. If he said it once, he just had to say it a second time. It was one of the things that people loved about Andre. Cat Noir landed on the ground, before they hit the bridge and he gently put Marinette down.

"Thanks for the lift, kitty." Marinette said. she gently scratched Cat Noir's chin, the way she occasionally did when she was Ladybug. She didn't even realize what she did.

"U-uh, it's the least I can do." Cat Noir said with a blush. They smiled at each other and started walking towards Mr. Sweetheart's Ice Cream.

"I don't think I mentioned it earlier, but I really do appreciate you checking up on me." Marinette said.

"Of course, dear. You mean a lot to me." Cat Noir said and Marinette froze.

"What did you call me?" Marinette asked and Cat Noir hesitated when he realized what he said.

"Oh, oops. It slipped out. If you don't like it, I'm sorry." Cat Noir said, just hoping that he didn't offend Marinette again.

"It surprised me, but I guess I don't mind." Marinette said. To be perfectly honest, she liked 'milady' more, but she was just Marinette.

"So, 'dear' is alright?" Cat Noir asked and Marinette kind of shrugged.

"It is. I think I'm just more surprised that you didn't do something more... you." Marinette said, and Cat Noir blinked.

"Oh, then I must be off my game. I'm sure that I'll find something that works." Cat Noir said and they both laughed. They walked over to Andre, but there was some people in front of them, so they had to wait.

"How about something along the lines of 'honey' or 'sugar', since your parents own a bakery?" Cat Noir asked and Marinette shook her head.

"I don't think so." Marinette said.

"Then a dessert maybe? Like 'cupcake' or 'macaroon' or 'cannoli'." Cat Noir suggested and Marinette giggled.

"Cute, Cat Noir. If you do a dessert, then I might get hungry every time I talk to you." Marinette said and Cat Noir smiled.

"Oh! Cat Noir and Marinette! Are you two sharing an ice cream together today?" Andre asked and the two blushed.

"Thank you Andre, but we aren't dating." Marinette said.

"Ah, well, are you ready for my magical ice cream?" Andre asked. Cat Noir gestured for Marinette to go first, but she hesitated.

"Actually, do you mind going first, Cat Noir. I'm, uh... not ready." Marinette said and Cat Noir blinked. Marinette was aware that Andre had a gift of seeing love in your heart and showing you who you loved in ice cream form. so this ice cream really would tell Marinette if she still loved Adrien or not. She was really worried because she didn't know if she wanted to see Adrien in her ice cream, or if she wanted to see someone else. Cat Noir didn't know what was holding Marinette back, but he decided not to push her to answer.

"Ok." Cat Noir said simply and he walked up to Andre.

"Ah, how interesting. I know just what to make you." Andre said and he turned to his cart.

"Strawberry with black chocolate chips, blackberries for her hair, blueberry ice cream- just like her sky-blue stare." Andre said, and he handed this to the hero, but Andre leaned in before he let go.

"I rarely get two customers get the same flavor of ice cream, Cat Noir." Andre said with a wink that made Cat Noir nervous.

"Um, thank you for the ice cream." Cat Noir said and he walked over to Marinette.

"Wow, kitty. That really does represent Ladybug. It's really cool." Marinette said and Cat Noir blushed.

"Are you ready for your ice cream now?" Cat Noir asked, and Marinette took a deep breath.

"As ready as I'll ever be." Marinette said and she went to Andre.

"Pretty Marinette, you look nervous. No matter, I have just the thing for you." Andre said, and Cat Noir stood beside them to hear what ice cream she got.

"Peach pink like his lips, and mint like his eyes." Andre said and he gave the cone to Marinette.

"Are you ok, Marinette?" Cat Noir asked, when he saw that she was staring at her ice cream, in shock.

"Uh, thank you, Andre." Marinette said with a smile.

"You're welcome, dear." Andre said and Cat Noir handed the man some cash before he gently guided Marinette towards the park.

Is there something wrong with your ice cream?" Cat Noir asked and Marinette looked at him.

"No, the ice cream is fine." Marinette said.

"Then what was all that about?" Cat Noir asked and Marinette sighed.

"There's this boy, and..." Marinette bit her lip. And as nervous as Cat Noir was, he wanted to be there for Marinette, even if she didn't love him.

"If it helps, I'm very good at keeping secrets." Cat Noir said as they walked into the park, and Marinette gave him a warm smile.

"Thank you, Cat Noir. It's just, I guess I feel a little weird talking to you about love, after... well... after I told you that I loved you, and my dad got akumatized and all." Marinette said. Cat Noir was silent for a moment. He knew that Ladybug had turned him down plenty of times because she was in love with someone else. So... that whole experience was just an act? But why would she do that to him? He decided to think about his later and focus on what was happening now.

"You did say something about us not being in love with each other. Besides, you have every right to fall in love with whoever you want." Cat Noir said and Marinette smiled.

"To be honest, I probably overreacted then. I've actually been in love with the same boy since the beginning of the school year." Marinette said, and the two found a bench and sat down.

"That long? Does the lucky boy know?" Cat Noir asked.

"HA! Are you kidding me? I can barely speak properly around him. I always stutter or jumble my words or say the wrong thing because he makes me so nervous." Marinette said bashfully as she ate her ice cream.

"You never know, Marinette. He might find it adorable. Have you ever tried telling...? Am I allowed to know his name?" Cat Noir asked. He knew it was kind of a cheap shot, tricking Ladybug to finally tell him who she loved; but after today, nothing will be the same, so he might as well know who she loved. At least then, maybe this boy could stop breaking her heart.

"You mean, Mr. 'peach lips and mint eyes'?" Marinette asked and Cat Noir smiled and rolled his eyes.

"Well, there are several people in Paris with pink lips and green eyes. I mean, even I have pink lips and green eyes." Cat Noir said and Marinette giggled.

"Ok, ok, I'll tell you who I'm in love with. But only because I know that I can trust you with my life. You'd never do anything to hurt me." Marinette said and Cat Noir smiled.

"I'm grateful for your trust, Marinette." Cat Noir said, and Marinette took a deep breath.

"Ok, ok... my ice cream represents this boy in my class... it represents... Adrien." Marinette shyly said, and Cat Noir practically crushed his ice cream to death.

"Adrien? Adrien Agreste?" Cat Noir asked. Did he hear her correctly?

"I know it's silly, since so many other girls are in love with him. But once you get to know him, you learn that he has a passionate heart and he truly cares about his friends." Marinette said, and Cat Noir blushed a little.

"At least... I thought he did." Marinette said and Cat Noir stared at her.

"I... um..." Cat Noir hesitated. Not knowing what to say, he reached over and put his hand on Marinette's shoulder. Marinette smiled and put her hand on Cat Noir's hand.

"Thanks." Marinette whispered.

"You must like him a lot." Cat Noir said.

"You know, the craziest thing is that, when I first met him, I thought he was a big jerk." Marinette said. Cat Noir remembered that. Chloe put gum on Marinette's seat and Marinette caught him when he tried to remove the gum.

"What changed?" Cat Noir asked, though he already knew the answer. She spent a few days getting to know him, and learned that he was a nice guy.

"Heh, it rained." Marinette said.

"That's all?" Cat Noir obviously wasn't expecting to hear that.

"The school day ended, and it was raining outside. I didn't have an umbrella, and I didn't want to walk in the rain, so I was stuck. Adrien walked up, said 'hey', but I was still upset about the gum. I didn't want to talk to him at all. I know how that wasn't fair. I knew he was the son of my favorite fashion designer, and a model, and he was friends with Chloe. She's been mean to me for years, and I thought he would be the same. You must think I'm ridiculous for judging Adrien because he's rich, famous, and Chloe's friend." Marinette ate her ice cream slowly.

"Well, I guess when you say it like that, it wouldn't be ridiculous to think he put the gum on your seat." Cat Noir said, and Marinette smiled.

"Anyways, it's raining and Adrien opens up his umbrella and he talks to me. First he explained that he was taking the gum off of my seat, then he went on to say that he's never been to school, and how he didn't have many friends. It was very honest, and it got my attention. And then he..." Marinette trailed off and Cat Noir was surprised to see a fond smile on Marinette's face.

"And then what?" Cat Noir asked, on the edge of his seat.

"He smiled. And for the first time I looked into his eyes. They took my breath away. And if that wasn't enough, he stood in the rain and gave me his umbrella. I also made him laugh by accident, but it was such an adorable laugh. I've been in love with him ever since." Marinette said and Cat Noir stared at him. She loved him for THAT long?

"His smile and his eyes? Maybe that's why your ice cream is 'peach pink like his lips and mint like his eyes'." Cat Noir thought out loud and Marinette blinked at the dessert.

"Maybe you're right. Andre is really good at his art. I mean peach and mint? Wow." Marinette said and Cat Noir chuckled.

"You know, I don't think I've ever had peach ice cream. Is it good?" Cat Noir asked and Marinette smiled.

"Wanna try it?" Marinette asked, holding her ice cream out to Cat Noir.

"Oh? Well, only if you try mine." Cat Noir said, and they traded cones.

"The dark chocolate chips really work with this strawberry ice cream." Marinette said and Cat Noir smiled.

"And the peach is nice. Fruity but not overpowering." Cat Noir said and they both chuckled and handed the cones back to each other.

"So, now you know who I'm in love with. So now we're, what, even for that day Andre got akumatized." Marinette said, though it was more of a half-joke.

"Well, yeah, sorta. you said someone broke your heart that day. Was that caused by Adrien too?" Cat Noir was almost afraid to ask.

"Yes, and no. See a group of us decided to go to Andre's together. I really wanted to get an ice cream with him. People say couples who eat at Andre's are together forever. But Adrien wasn't allowed to go out for ice cream with us. I guess I was really hurt since he cancels so frequently. So I didn't want to eat Andre's ice cream anymore. And I told him that I didn't think his ice cream was magical. That's why Andre got akumatized." Marinette said and Cat Noir bit his lip. He wanted to say that he was sorry for not showing up, but he couldn't.

"And today?" Cat Noir asked.

"Adrien was weird. He was late to fencing class, and I think he got in some sort of fight with Chloe. He looked upset, and knocked me down. He... said harsh things and squeezed, my hand. It really hurt. I went home and cried my eyes out, leaving me too weak to fight the akuma." Marinette said and Cat Noir reached over and touched her hand.

"Listen, I-"

"Ow." Marinette pulled her hand away from Cat Noir who held his hands up to keep it away from her.

"What happened?" Cat Noir asked and Marinette sighed.

"Hold my cone for a moment." Marinette said, and Cat Noir did. Then Marinette removed her glove and revealed all of her bruises. Cat Noir stared at her hand in shock, he just couldn't believe it.

"D... Did Adrien do that?" Cat Noir asked and Marinette nodded.

"He did, but I doubt he know that." Marinette said.

 _He does now_

Cat Noir thought.

"You didn't deserve that." Cat Noir said, feeling more guilty then ever.

"Thank you." Marinette said. putting her glove back on her hand.

"Is that why you were surprised at getting this ice cream cone from Andre?" Cat Noir asked and Marinette nodded.

"Yes. I wasn't sure if I still loved him. I know that he apologized, but... I wasn't sure how my heart felt." Marinette said and Cat Noir nodded.

"Yeah." Cat Noir said softly.

"I mean, I always get so flustered around him; and I've tried to tell him how I felt a few times, and they all failed; and he told me that he was in love with someone else." Marinette said and Cat NOir was starting to understand this never ending circle of romance that they had. Somehow they managed to love each other AND only think of each other as friends. How frustrating.

"You never seem to get flustered around Ladybug. I guess I'm a little jealous in that regard." Marinette said, taking her cone back from him.

"Don't be. I still have my nervous ticks, just like everyone else." Cat Noir said.

"You know... speaking of Ladybug... can you tell me why she didn't fight today?" Marinette asked. She shouldn't be asking this. When Tikki returned to her with the Ladybug earrings, she was informed that they lied to Cat Noir. Apparently they told him that Ladybug was too ill to fight.

"Uh... s-sick. I was told that she was sick." Cat Noir said and Marinette relaxed.

"It happens to the best of us." Marinette said.

"It does..." Cat Noir said, and Marinette remembered something, and looked down at her ice cream.

"Is something wrong?" Cat Noir asked and Marinette shrugged.

"Just... thinking about Adrien some more. You must be tired of hearing about him, though." Marinette said and Cat Noir smiled.

"I enjoy talking to you. About anything. So, please continue." Cat Noir said.

"One of the things I love about Adrien is his ability to see the good in anyone. I told you that Chloe's been mean to me for years, but with his help, I actually started to see a sensitive side of Chloe I never saw before. Even though she still drives me crazy, it's nice to know that she can be a good person at times." Marinette said with a smile.

"I hope that helps." Cat Noir said.

"I think it does. I think that's the only reason why Chloe didn't expose me when she found out that I liked Adrien." Marinette said, and Cat Noir blinked.

"Chloe knows?" Cat Noir asked.

"Yeah. I tried to give him this passion fruit flavored macaroon I made for him, at the premiere of the animated Ladybug and Cat Noir movie. But she knows he loves passion fruit and figured out that I had a major crush on him." Marinette said.

"Oh." Cat Noir said.

"Yeah, but then I started thinking about it. Chloe is mean, but she can be nice. So I guess..." Her voice trailed off a bit.

"Yeah?" Cat Noir asked.

"So, I guess it's only natural that Adrien can be mean every once in a while and still be nice." Marinette said and she finished her ice cream.

"That's a logical way of thinking about it." Cat Noir said, and he finished his ice cream.

"You know, a while back I gave him this little charm." Marinette reached into her purse and retrieved the familiar thing. Cat Noir froze a moment when she saw it. He wondered if there was a chance that Marinette will give the charm to Cat Noir instead of Adrien.

"So when he apologized, he returned it back to me. Claiming that I should keep it until he's properly earned it back?" Cat Noir asked.

"And... how will he earn it back?" Cat Noir asked.

"I have no idea. On one hand, Adrien is human, and there will be times where he gets angry; but he hurt me physically, which I never thought he would do. Although I'm hardly perfect so I shouldn't be so harsh on him just because I haven't really seen him mad before. And to top it all off, I have no idea why he was so worked up. He said that he was sick of being a pawn in everyone's games. I wonder what that means." Marinette said and Cat Noir blinked.

"Does it really matter why he was mad?" Cat Noir asked, putting the charm back in her purse.

"I think it does. At least a little. I mean, he called himself a pawn, so that means he feels used. It might have something to do with his dad ordering him around. I mean it's clear that he keeps Adrien locked up in his house, because he's afraid, but Adrien may not see it that way." Marinette said.

"I... suppose you're right." Cat Noir said.

"And Adrien's a model. So he is automatically told what to wear and how to behave. It's sad since fashion is about expression, yet they just want him because he's an attractive guy with a famous dad." Marinette said.

"Yeah." Cat Noir muttered sadly.

"But those pictures don't show how kind he is, or how sweet he is, or how smart he is, There is so much to Adrien, and people don't get to see that." Marinette said.

"True. But he still gets chased by crazed fans. I'm not sure that they care about who he really is." Cat Noir said.

"Well, that's a shame, because Adrien has the biggest heart in the whole school. I mean he would have done this fashion show that Chloe organized with just him and- Wow, people do take him for granted... poor Adrien." Marinette said and Cat Noir stared at her. He wasn't expecting Marinette to feel sorry for him, not after what he did.

"Now I think you have the biggest heart in your school." Cat Noir said and Marinette blushed and tucked some hair behind her ear.

"You're welcome, um... bluebell?" Cat Noir said.

"Bluebell?" Marinette asked and Cat Noir rubbed the back of his neck.

"After your eyes. They are as blue as bluebell flower. It might be a good nickname." Cat Noir said and Marinette blushed.

"That's sweet. I think bluebell could work." Marinette said slowly.

"Is it purrfect?" Cat Noir asked and Marinette rolled her eyes, but still laughed a little.

"You are such a dork." Marinette said and they laughed together.


	14. Chapter14

Disclaimer: I do not own Miraculous Ladybug or it's characters.

Chapter 14,

Cat Noir was right. The fireflies were beautiful tonight. He had produced a blanket, from what seemed like nowhere, and laid it on the ground. She sat on the soft fabric and giggled at Cat Noir who jumped around, chasing the glowing creatures.

"Are you always so catty when you're not Cat Noir?" Marinette asked and Cat Noir turned to her.

"Are you interested?" Cat Noir asked and Marinette blushed.

"In all honesty, I'm incredibly interested." Marinette admitted and Cat Noir walked over to her and sat down.

"You are?" He asked, a little surprised. Ladybug was always so firm on them not knowing anything about each other.

"Extremely. I'm just not sure if it's smart." Marinette said.

"To trust you?" Cat Noir asked.

"To trust anyone. Your secret identity is the most valuable thing, Cat Noir. And if you start telling me personal things about you, then what if... I figure out your identity." Marinette said and Cat Noir blinked.

"Well... If that were to happen... I think I could trust you." Cat Noir said and Marinette blushed.

"I wouldn't." Marinette said.

"Why not?" Cat Noir asked.

"Because I'm a total screwup. I could accidentally blurt it out, and once it's out, I can't change it." Marinette said.

"I'm sure you're not that bad." Cat Noir said.

"Are you kidding? Even times when I try to be helpful, I just ruin everything." Marinette said sadly. She pulled up her legs and wrapped her arms around them.

"Maybe that's why I got so persuaded when Hawk Moth started talking about how much I could help people." Marinette said softly.

"Hang on. Do you actually remember your time as Masquerade?" Cat Noir asked, and Marinette bit her lip.

"It's as if I were in a dream. Some parts I barely remember, but others are as clear as a bell." Marinette said.

"Well, what do you remember?" Cat Noir asked.

"I remember hearing Hawk Moth's voice, and though I couldn't see him, I knew when he nodded or gestured or pointed. I also felt as if he actually understood the pain I was going through." Marinette said.

"Understood?" Cat Noir asked.

"Actually it was more then that... he more than understood. It was as if we both went through the same ordeal, and he knew exactly how to make me feel better, even when I didn't." Marinette said. She looked down at her hand, then back at Cat Noir.

"That may not make sense, but that's how I remember it feeling." Marinette said.

"It's alright. Go on." Cat Noir encouraged and Marinette sighed.

"I remember not wanting to fight you... and then... something happened and we did." Marinette said.

"We did, but everything is fine now." Cat Noir said.

"There was something strange I do remember." Marinette said.

"What's that?" Cat Noir asked.

"Hawk Moth said that I reminded him of someone, and these images popped into my head. Images of this really beautiful blonde woman. And I felt... Hawk Moth's emotions ." Marinette said and Cat Noir blinked.

"You felt his emotions? Are you positive?" Cat Noir asked and Marinette nodded.

"I'm telling you there is some kind of bond that links one to Hawk Moth, when they're akumatized. He knows how I felt, and I knew how he felt. At least I did when he remembered that woman." Marinette said and Cat Noir hesitated.

"And what did he feel?" Cat Noir asked, and Marinette closed her eyes to help recall the emotions.

"He was sad. He desperately misses her. But... there's also... love." Marinette said.

"Love?" Cat Noir asked and Marinette nodded a little.

"Love. Definitely love. He misses her because he loves her, and he longs to have her back." Marinette said and she opened her eyes and looked at Cat Noir.

"So...? Do you think this is an ex-girlfriend? An old flame that you were similar to?" Cat Noir asked and Marinette shrugged.

"Personally, I think it's stronger then that?" Marinette said.

"Stronger in what way?" Cat Noir asked.

"Like... his wife maybe?" Marinette suggested.

"Wife? It's hard to imagine Hawk Moth being married." Cat Noir said and Marinette looked at him.

"Maybe she died." Marinette whispered sadly, and Cat Noir leaned back on to the blanket and stared up into the stars. She laid down next to him and they stared together. They were silent for several minutes, listening to the sounds of Paris. Crickets, water from the fountain, the faint sounds of Andre singing, and the gentle wind running past each tree, flower, and blade of grass. The wind felt nice, but it was a little chilly, so Marinette shivered a little, which Cat Noir noticed.

"Cold?" Cat Noir asked, turning his head.

"Oh, uh, just a little. I'll be fine." Marinette said, looking at him with a smile before looking at the stars again.

"I wish I could offer you a jacket, but I don't have one." Cat Noir said bashfully.

"I told you, I'll be fine." Marinette said with a giggle. Cat Noir was gonna drop this. After all, he knew how stubborn Ladybug could be. However, after a moment, he saw Marinette shiver again, and he wanted to help. He held out a hand to Marinette.

"I-I'm warm. I-I don't mind, uh... sharing." Cat Noir did his best to avoid stuttering, but failed miserably. Marinette blushed. She knew that Cat Noir was in love with Ladybug, and that Cat knew she loved Adrien. Therefore this wasn't a ploy because he liked her. He just didn't want her to be cold.

"Sharing is caring?" Marinette said half-joking and Cat Noir smiled at her. Marinette sighed a little.

"Ok." She simply said and she moved closer to Cat Noir. Cat Noir wrapped an arm around Marinette and Marinette laid her head and hand gently on Cat Noir's chest.

"The stars are exceptionally pretty tonight." Cat Noir said, glad that Marinette couldn't see the blush on his face.

"They really are." Marinette whispered. She smiled when she noticed the sound of Cat Noir's heart beat. It calmed her in a way she's never known.

"Do you ever look at the constellations and think about the stories behind them?" Cat Noir asked.

"Sometimes. I know a few stories, but they tend to be bittersweet." Marinette said.

"Like what?" Cat Noir asked.

"Um... like Perseus and his wife. He sees that she is tied up to a rock as a sacrifice to this sea beast. He kills the creature, and saves her. But, uh... her parents are upset, she he kills them. Or maybe the gods kill her parents because their daughter wasn't sacrificed. So they die, but Perseus can't marry the girl because she's engaged to someone else, so he just kills the fiancé and marries his wife." Marinette said.

"Well, that's one story." Cat Noir said.

"And then there's the Leo story. The hero Hercules was told to do 12 impossible tasks. One of which was to kill a lion. It was impossible because no weapon could pierce it's skin. So Hercules has no choice but to chase the creature for 30 days until the poor thing dies from exhaustion. Hercules wears the lion like a coat, and it helps to protect him when he fights the Hydra. But when Hercules survives, Zeus decides to honor the lion's life by creating the Leo constellation." Marinette said.

"Running until you die?" Cat Noir said.

"Some people say Hercules used his brute strength and strangled it instead; but I heard chasing first, so..." Marinette said.

"Ok. I don't mind the story about the sculptor." Cat Noir said.

"Sculptor?" Marinette asked.

"Yeah, wanna hear it?" Cat Noir asked.

"If you like it, then sure." Marinette said and Cat Noir smiled.

"There once was a sculptor named Pygmalion." Cat Noir started and Marinette giggled.

"Is it time for a bedtime story already?" Marinette asked and Cat Noir hushed her.

"You told your stories the way you wanted, I get to tell this story the way I want." Cat Noir said, and Marinette giggled again.

"Fair enough. Continue." Marinette said, nuzzling his chest a little as she got more comfortable. Cat Noir's whole face must have been red by now.

"Pygmalion was the most talented sculptor in all of Cyprus. His statues were the most beautiful and realistic in all of Greece. But Pygmalion grew distasteful of the outside world and wanted nothing to do with it. He just help up in his studio creating his statues. And one day, he is asked to create a statue of a beautiful woman. So he goes to work. And as he is sculpting, he tries to create a woman, who was unlike the women of his town. A woman of kindness and morals, and held a sweetness to others. The exact opposite of everyone he has ever known. When he was done, he stepped away from the greatest masterpiece in Greece's history." Cat Noir said, and he laid his free hand on his stomach.

"Isn't that a little prideful?" Marinette asked and Cat Noir shrugged.

"Maybe a bit. Anyways, the second he set eyes on his creation, he instantly fell in love with the statue." Cat Noir said, and Marinette bit her lip.

"Poor dude." Marinette commented.

"Yeah... well... He was so in love with the statue that he stopped sculpting and went out and bought her the fanciest chocolates, and dresses, and perfumes. He was trying so hard to find a gift that earned the statues love." Cat Noir said.

"That must have been hard. Trying so hard to... um... earn the statue's love." Marinette said, as she realized why Cat Noir likes the story so much. It was similar to his love for Ladybug.

"That's why Pygmalion would go to Aphrodite's temple every night and prayed to this Goddess of Love; asking her to make Galatea fall in love with him." Cat Noir said.

"Galatea? That's the name of the statue?" Marinette asked and Cat Noir blinked.

"Oh... did I forget to say her name earlier?" Cat Noir asked and Marinette giggled.

"Yes, silly. Just finish your story." Marinette said.

"Aphrodite took pity on Pygmalion, and when he got home, he discovers that Galatea has come to life. They get married, and have children, and for the rest of their lives they thank Aphrodite for allowing them to be together." Cat Noir said.

"Ok, that's not so bad." Marinette admitted and Cat Noir smiled.

"I'm glad you liked it." Cat Noir said. They laid like that for what seemed like an eternity. Enjoying the bliss of each other's presence and warmth. It would be a shame if it had to end. But Cat Noir knew this had to stop; because he was getting so comfortable that he nearly fell asleep twice.

"It's getting late, Bluebell." Cat Noir said, but Marinette didn't move.

"Marinette?" Cat Noir asked. The hand that rested on his stomach reached up and grabbed her hand.

"She's asleep, Cat Noir." Tikki said, poking her head out of Marinette's purse.

"So, that's where you hide." Cat Noir said with a smirk. He slowly pulled away from Marinette.

"Are you going to wake her up?" Tikki asked and Cat Noir rubbed the back of his neck.

"I don't know. She's been through a lot. I think she needs her sleep." Cat Noir said, kneeling beside the sleeping girl. He put his hands under the blanket and scooped up it and Marinette.

"Careful." Tikki couldn't help but say.

"Always with... Milady." Cat Noir blushed. It was the first time he called Marinette that, and she'll never know. Cat Noir took Marinette home.


End file.
